The One That Got Away
by singitanyway13
Summary: All this money can't buy me a time machine. Can't replace you with a million rings. I should have told you what you meant to me. 'Cause now I pay the price. But in another life, I would be your girl...
1. Chapter 1

**The One That Got Away**

* * *

The final rays of light shot through the evening sky just as Reba Hart got into her car, fresh off from work. The day had been a pleasant one with not too many difficult tasks and plenty of friendly clients. She liked days like this where she could go to work happy and refreshed and leave the same way.

As she climbed into her car and started the engine, the radio began to play and she rolled her windows down, letting the cool fall air surround her as she drove out of the parking lot. She ran a hand through her hair as she drove along, thinking about how good it would feel to hop in the shower right when she got home and watch a movie on the couch with Jake and Kyra until she fell asleep. Her two children had been spending more and more time at home and even more so than that, they had been spending more time with each other. Jake had just turned fourteen and at nineteen, Kyra was in her second year of college. She learned very quickly that living in a dorm wasn't for her, so she moved back home and Reba couldn't have been happier.

She was just thinking of what movie the three could watch and what kind of pizza they could order when her vehicle lurched forward rather violently, a dull boom sounding behind her. Her head went forward, hitting the steering wheel with quite a bit of force. Wincing, Reba lifted her head and looked behind her to see that a big, four-door truck had rear-ended her pretty good. She could already see the driver, a tall man with brown hair, stepping out and walking towards her door. He tapped her window when he arrived.

A bit disoriented and in some pain, Reba unlocked the doors and stepped out of the car.

"Are you okay?" The man asked as Reba rubbed her forehead.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?"

"Didn't brake in time. Are you sure you're okay? There's a bump on your forehead."

"I'm okay." She looked up at him for the first time, wincing as the she caught a glimpse of the sundown. It made her progressing headache worse. "I guess we should just wait on the police. Have you called them?"

"I can."

He whipped out his cellphone as Reba went around to the back of her car to assess the damage. Nothing major. Her bumper was dented as was his front. It would be a pain to get fixed, but it wouldn't be too expensive.

A moment later, he sighed. "They're sending somebody out," He told her. "Do you have insurance?"

"Of course. Do you?"

He nodded and leaned against his truck. "This is going to take a while."

* * *

It was nearly seven o'clock before Reba entered her house with tired eyes. Her once energetic attitude was now diminished to an irritated one. Her head was pounding and she felt like her face was covered in dust from standing on the side of the road for so long. When she walked in the house, she saw Jake and Brock sitting on the couch playing a video game and as she looked further into the house, she spotted Kyra at the dining room table with all her books and papers strewn out, doing homework. It was an odd sight to see, but it felt homey all the same.

"There you are," Jake said when she shut the front door, never looking up from his game. Brock, however, glanced her way.

"Yes, here I am," Reba said, hanging her purse up and taking her high heels off at the stairs.

"What happened to your head?" Brock asked.

At that, Jake looked up as well and noticed his mother's forehead was swollen and bruised. "Did you hit your head?" He asked.

"Yes," Reba said, walking into the kitchen. "On the steering wheel."

"You do know you're supposed to drive with your hands, right?" Kyra said from the table, not bothering to look up from her work.

Reba let out a sarcastic laugh. "You don't say?" She heard Brock and Jake follow her as she washed her hands at the sink.

"Seriously, Reba," Brock said. "What happened?"

"I got in a wreck."

Both Brock and Jake's mouths dropped open, but before they could bombard her with questions, she held up her hands as she dried them on a towel.

"I'm fine. It was nothing major, just a dented fender and a dented bumper."

"What happened?" Jake asked. "Was it a pile-up?"

"No, it was not a pile-up." Reba went to the refrigerator. "Have y'all eaten?"

"I ordered Chinese," Brock said. "Did they hit you or did you hit them?"

"He hit me. He didn't brake fast enough. But it's fine." She grabbed one of the five Chinese takeout boxes from the refrigerator, closing it with her foot. "We got everything sorted out. I'll take my car to the mechanic tomorrow to make sure everything's fine under the hood."

Jake seemed bored with the conversation when he found out there was no explosions involved, so he silently walked back into the living room to continue his game, reminding his dad to hurry back.

"You should let me take a look at your car," Brock said.

"Ha. Yeah, right." Reba stabbed a piece of orange chicken with a fork. "If something is wrong with it, I don't want you making it worse. I need an oil change anyway. This is just an excuse to go get that done."

"I can change your oil for you."

"Brock, give it up. I know you're all lonely because of the divorce, but you seriously can't keep offering to do those kinds of things for me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's weird. We're not married anymore. You're not supposed to change my oil or fix the broken shutter on the upstairs window or seal the leaky gutter. I'm supposed to either hire someone to fix those things or bribe Van."

Brock rolled his eyes. "Will you at least let me check out your head? It's swollen, honey."

"No, I will not, because it's fine." She carried her takeout box into the living room, Brock following. But before she made it past the counter, she stopped and turned. "You know what's odd, though?"

"What?"

"You know that wreck you and I had right before I had Kyra?"

"Yeah."

"The wreck I had was on the same street. Same kind of accident, too."

Brock shrugged. "Coincidence."

Reba blinked a few times, before nodding. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I'm going to take this Chinese food and go to bed. I'm beat."

"Can I stay for a bit longer to finish my game with Jake?"

She nudged his shoulder. "You know you don't have to ask." She entered the living room.

"Just thought I'd make sure. You're even more picky about what I do now than when we were married."

She started up the stairs. "Ha! I don't care what you do, Brock, as long as you do it away from me."

* * *

Her head wasn't pounding the next morning like she thought it would be. It was surprisingly painless and when she woke up a bit more, she touched her forehead and noticed the swelling had gone down completely. The aspirin she had taken before falling asleep had really done the trick.

She rolled over in bed, not wanting to get up yet, but wondering why her alarm hadn't gone off yet. It felt like it was at least eight in the morning. She always liked to be up by six so she could have a little time to shower, drink a cup or two of coffee and visit with the kids before they went to school at eight and she headed off to work at eight thirty.

Yawning, she opened her eyes and nearly screamed when she saw Brock's sleeping body beside her own. She stifled the scream and sat up quickly, shaking the bed and waking him. She sat there with her hand over her mouth until he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

His voice must have given her permission to move because the first thing she did was grab a pillow and start beating him with it. Over and over again, she hit him with her pillow. All along, he was protesting and shielding himself as she yelled at him.

"How could you sleep with me? I told you that you could stay and play a game with Jake, not spend the night in my bed, you twisted, orange manatee! Get. Out. Of. My. Room." With each word, she hit him harder until he pulled the pillow from her hands. By this time, she had jumped off the bed and continued her abuse standing up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked. He threw the pillow to where she had been laying and stood as well, wearing nothing but boxer shorts. Reba winced and looked away.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked. "What's wrong with you?" She stepped back. "What kind of person sleeps with their ex-wife without her knowing it?"

"Ex-wife?"

"Yes, ex. As in, excuse me, get out of my room and put some clothes on!" She lunged for the pillow again, but he caught her and drug her to her feet.

"You're not making any sense, Reba." He grabbed her by her shoulders. "Please tell me why you're beating me and calling me your ex-husband."

"Well, that's what you are."

"Is that what people are calling their husbands nowadays? Their ex-husbands?"

"You're not my husband, Brock! You haven't been for seven years!"

He held up his left hand, showing her his gold wedding band before lifting her left hand as well. She gasped when she saw her glittering, diamond wedding ring on her ring finger. She hadn't touched or even looked at her wedding ring since she took it off the day her divorce was final seven years ago. How it ended up on her finger, she had no clue.

"Who put that there? Did you? While I was sleeping?" She twisted it off, breaking out of his grasp and holding it tightly in her hand.

"Reba, you're really starting to scare me. You're talking nonsense."

"You're the one saying we're married when we're not!"

Brock shook his head. "Maybe you just need to go back to bed. I can handle the office by myself today." He walked off towards the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Reba heard the shower turn on and slowly sat on the bed. The sheets were all messy from the pillow fight moments ago.

She was really starting to freak out. So all of a sudden she wakes up and is married to Brock again? Was this some sort of dream? She shut her eyes and pinched her arm. She had always heard that you can't get hurt in dreams. When she felt the pinch, she sighed. Either the getting hurt in dreams story was a lie or this was all real. But this kind of thing wasn't possible. You can't go back in time.

_Maybe I didn't..._ She thought to herself, thinking about the car accident the night before and her comment to Brock about having one with him in the car with her right before Kyra was born.

She reached for her cellphone on her end-table and unlocked it. The date was the day after the crash. Same year and everything. Only one day had passed. It didn't make sense. She walked to her vanity and bent over, looking at herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different and she didn't feel any different. She supposed the only thing out of the ordinary was Brock claiming to be her husband.

As the shower turned off, Reba's mind went back to the television program she had been watching the night before. It was something on Nightline. There were people claiming to visit alternate realities after experiencing similar occurrences that happened earlier in their lives. Just like her and the car crash. These people claimed that they were not dreaming and that each time they slept and woke up, they would be in a new reality with new details that weren't in the reality they were familiar with. When Reba had been watching the program, she had thought that it was a bunch of buffalo droppings. But as she watched Brock exit the bathroom with a towel around his waist, she wondered if those people might be right.

"Brock?"

"Yeah?"

Reba looked at him ruffling around in the top drawer of his dresser. It was so odd to see his dresser in her room again.

"Am I crazy?" She asked.

"What?" He closed the drawer and turned around to look at her.

"Am I crazy?"

"No, but you sure were acting like it a minute ago." He put on his boxer shorts before dropping his towel.

"Brock, when I went to sleep last night, we were divorced. I had a car accident last night and I hit my head. When I came home, you were in the living room with Jake and Kyra and you guys ordered Chinese food. You were worried about my head and the car and I told you I was fine. Then I went to bed and woke up married again."

"I can assure you that we were very much married last night. You didn't have a car accident, you were with me and the kids at the pizza place."

Reba shook her head, standing. "But I don't remember that. I remember the accident and my headache. I had such a bad headache and a nasty bruise." She put her hand to her forehead and shoved her hair back. "Do you see it?"

Brock looked closer but shook, his head. "There's nothing there."

Reba sighed, letting her hand fall to her side. "Then something really strange is going on."

Brock went to the closet and pulled out a shirt and pants. "It was probably just a bad dream."

"It wasn't a dream. I remember it."

Brock shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."

"You don't have to be a jerk about it..."

"Well, what would you do if I was telling you that we were divorced when we're not? Why would we even be divorced in the first place? We've been married for twenty seven years."

"Because you cheated on me with Barbra Jean and had a baby with her!"

"Do _what_?"

"Yes. Seven years ago you cheated on me with Barbra Jean, got her pregnant and we got a divorce."

Brock stared at her before shaking his head. "That's ridiculous, Reba. You know I'd never do something like that. Barbra Jean doesn't even work for me anymore."

"Brock, I'm kind of scared, okay? You don't have to get mean."

His eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I'm just confused."

"And I'm not?"

"I didn't say that." He stepped into his pants, zipping them up before sliding his shirt on his arms, bringing it together to button it. When he did, he lovingly grabbed her by the shoulders. "Just calm down. Take a deep breath and clear your head. I'm sure whatever's happening will clear itself up. Don't let your blood pressure go through the roof. You remember what the doctor said."

"No. What did the doctor say? Is there something wrong?"

"I wouldn't call a baby wrong, would you?"

"A baby?"

Brock's arms slid off her shoulders. "Let me guess. You 'forgot' you were pregnant?"

"What? Pregnant...?

Reba immediately looked down and smoothed her pajama shirt over her belly. She hadn't even noticed that her middle was protruding much more than it normally would. She didn't look fat, she absolutely looked pregnant. She ran a hand over her stomach and shivered at the thought of a little life being inside her. She didn't know this child and it was almost an eerie feeling knowing it was hers and Brock's.

She looked back up at him. "I'm pregnant?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Almost ten weeks now"

"But...but I can't have another baby. How did this- How...what...?" She mumbled, trying to form words, but her brain wasn't cooperating. It was still trying to process the word 'pregnant.'

"It was a pretty big surprise."

"I guess..." She placed her hand on her belly once more. She was scared and confused, but oddly happy at the same time. Then she wondered if she'd ever get to meet her baby, if it was even real in the first place, but she had been pregnant before. This was too full of life to be just a figment of her imagination.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

Brock was looking at her hand on her belly. "It's a boy." He looked up at her. "You're kind of starting to scare me, Reba."

"I'm scaring myself."

He shook his head. "How do you not remember your husband and your baby?"

"I don't know. I'm just as confused, Brock. Please understand. You're my best friend. You're supposed to listen to me and understand."

"So now I'm your best friend?"

"We never stopped being friends, even after we divorced."

He shook his head. "What brought all this on, Reba? Did I do something to make you mad?"

"No. I think it was the wreck-"

"But there was no wreck."

"There was before I went to sleep last night. I know good and well what I was doing last night. Heck, I even know what you were doing and we weren't at the pizza place like you said. Just understand that I'm freaking out, okay? You don't have to believe me, but don't be a jerk."

"Okay. I'm sorry." He grabbed her arm and went to pull her in for a kiss, but she turned her head, his lips landing on her cheek instead.

"I'm sorry," She said softly, her head still turned. "I can't."

He sighed. "I can't kiss you now?"

"Not until I know what's going on." She turned to him, backing up a little bit. "Don't be angry with me."

"I'm not." He let go of her arm, trying to make her more comfortable. "Why don't you just take today off and get some rest? You need it anyway. You told me last week that you weren't sleeping all that well at night. At least I think you told me..."

Reba nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I can fall asleep and wake back up in the life I know."

Brock tried to hide the hurt in his eyes, but Reba saw it and she made a mental note to try and be more understanding. If she wanted him to be understanding towards her, the least she could do was give him the same courtesy.

"Have a good day at work." She leaned forward and gave him a hug, letting him hug her back.

"I'll see you later." He held on a moment longer before grabbing his things and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Reba flopped down on her bed with a sigh, forcing herself to believe that this was just a horrible dream and that it would all go back to normal once she fell asleep and woke up. When that happened, she'd be back in her regular life again. She just knew it.

* * *

_**I know this is a bit different than my other stories, but this idea came to me while I was listening to The One That Got Away by Katy Perry on the radio and thought it might be interesting to try and write a story based on the song. It won't follow the song exactly, though. It just kind of inspired it. It also reminds me of the plot of the new NBC show Awake. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's interesting. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. (:**_


	2. Chapter 2

She guessed she had slept no more than thirty minutes because she could still feel the morning aura before she even opened her eyes. Inhaling deeply and preparing herself in case she hadn't woke up from what she thought was a dream, Reba opened her eyes to find herself still in bed in the same pajamas she was in when she went to sleep the night before, the same ones she was wearing when Brock was in her room. Sitting up slowly, she looked around her room. She no longer saw Brock's furniture or his stuff on the other end-table. The sheets on the other side of the bed weren't in disarray from a pillow fight, they were fairly neat.

Deciding to take a chance, Reba called out, "Brock? Are you in here?"

Her question was directed in the way of the bathroom to her right, but no response came and for that, she was relieved. A little more happier, she climbed out of bed and put on her robe, noting the time on her alarm clock; six forty-five. She shook her head as she walked down the stairs, confused. At least she wouldn't be late for work because of some bad dream.

As she made her way across the living room and into the kitchen, she heard Jake and Kyra's voice mixed with Brock's. She nearly stopped dead in her tracks. She'd had very strong dreams before, but this was something else. Was she awake or asleep? It was very unsettling to not be one hundred percent sure.

Cautiously, she made her way into the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom," Jake greeted her from the table over a plate of waffles.

"Mornin'," She responded. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Sure..."

She made her way over to the coffee pot, watching Brock carefully as he filled the waffle maker. "What are you doing here?" She asked him as she slowly poured a cup of coffee.

"Uh..." He said, trying to buy some time to think up a lie as he slowly stirred what was left of the waffle mix. "I came over early this morning. Wanted to spend some quality time with the kids." He looked up at her with that half smile of his.

"No, he didn't," Kyra spoke up. Both adults looked her way as she explained further. "Him and Jake fell asleep on the couch, playing video games."

"Snitch!" Jake hollered.

Kyra shrugged. "If you're going to pollute your mind with pointless video games, you have to be willing to face the consequences."

"You were playing games with him last night?" Reba asked.

"Yes..." Brock said. "But you said I could, remember?"

"Yes, I do remember. I was making sure you did."

"I asked you. Of course I remember."

"Was I in a car accident last night?" She asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Brock told her, unsure of her choice of question. "You hit your head. Did you forget about it?"

"No..." She ran a hand through her hair. "I was just...making sure I didn't dream it."

"Okay..."

She nodded. "Yeah. No big deal." She smiled, relieved that her experience was only a dream and that everything was normal once again. "So, what's everybody up to today?"

* * *

Fridays were usually hectic days at the office. Everybody wanted to get their business done before the weekend and those who didn't, came back on Monday making the start of the week just as busy. Reba wasn't looking forward to the dreaded Monday blues, but she dreaded her next open house even more. It seemed like she couldn't sell the house for anything. Nobody was interested in the least bit and it was frustrating, especially when she felt like she hadn't slept much the night before.

She had a little under half an hour before she had to leave for the open house, so she decided to take a quick power nap in her office. All her paperwork was done so she figured there was no harm. It wasn't the first time she had napped at work and it certainly wouldn't be the last. She slipped off her high heels, leaving them under her desk and locked her office door before going to the leather love seat that was set against the wall for clients and lied down, closing her eyes with a tired sigh. Just a few minutes would energize her just enough to make it through the last three hours of work.

* * *

A loud knocking woke her up. She could hear it but she was still half asleep. Forcing her eyes open, she saw that she was no longer in her office, she was in her living room lying on the couch. That really woke her up. She sat up and looked around, wondering how she got to her home without realizing she was driving from her office. The thought frightened her, but she couldn't think about it at the moment with the irritating knocking on the front door.

She stood and walked over, unlocking the door and opening it to find Brock on the other side.

"Hey, babe. Forgot I had taken my house key off my key-chain to get some spares made." He kissed her cheek as he passed her. "You have a good day?"

Reba was still standing at the door, trying to comprehend what was happening. Was she having a continuation of her earlier dream? Or something else.

"I guess so," She said, closing the door and turning to see Brock entering the kitchen. She decided to follow him.

"What's for dinner?" He asked as he washed his hands at the sink.

"Shouldn't you be at your house for dinner?" She asked.

He looked up. "Come on. Not this again."

"What?"

"Are you still on this 'we're not married' thing? Reba, we're married, okay? This is not a dream, this is not an alternate universe. We've been married for twenty-seven years, okay?"

"Don't treat me like I'm five years old."

"Then stop playing these games."

He went over to the refrigerator and Reba found herself unconsciously touching her belly. She smoothed her shirt over her stomach and swallowed.

"Okay," She said. "Say we are married and I'm not dreaming."

"Alright." He shut the refrigerator door and turned to her.

"Prove it."

"Would you like me to show you our wedding rings again or would you prefer to see a copy of the marriage license?"

"I know what both of those look like, Brock. I've seen them before."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Figure something out. I'm getting kind of concerned here. Just a few minutes ago, I was in my office taking a nap and I woke up here."

"Your office?"

"I'm a realtor."

Brock rolled his eyes and pushed passed her. "What the hell, Reba."

She followed him as he disappeared up the stairs, clearly ticked off.

"I'm sorry. I tried explaining everything to you this morning. I tried telling you that I was afraid and you took it so lightly."

When they arrived in Reba's room, he turned to her. "How would you like it if I kept denying my love for you? What if I kept saying that our life wasn't right, that is was all messed up. A...a dream of some sort? How would you like that?"

She flinched as she heard him use the word 'love' and 'you' in a sentence to her. It had been awhile since she had heard it and it was a little odd.

"I have heard you say those things," She told him quietly. "Seven years ago when you decided you didn't want to be with me anymore."

"And that's how I know that you were dreaming. How could I ever not want to be with you?"

"You wanted to be with Barbra Jean."

He shook his head. "No, I don't. I love you."

She stared at him, wondering how she was able to keep her composure after he said those words a second time.

"You used to. A long time ago."

"No. I do love you. So much." He caressed her face with his hand, running his thumb across the soft part under her eye. "I know I don't always show it, but I do. How can this not be real?" He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, hearing her gasp in surprise.

Her heart started to race as she felt so many emotions and feelings come rushing back. She hadn't felt his kiss in over seven years and she didn't know what to make of it. It felt real. It felt right. And the latter was what probably scared her most.


	3. Chapter 3

For the rest of the evening, Reba tried her best to act normal and do what she thought Brock considered wifely activities. She found out that Van and Cheyenne and Elizabeth's lives were exactly the same and so were Kyra and Jake's. Everything was pretty much the same as it was in what she considered her normal life. The only difference was her and Brock were married, but she couldn't figure out why that was the change. Why was she dreaming that?

Those were the things she pondered on all through family dinner. She had asked Brock not to tell the kids about her episode earlier that morning or the one she had when he arrived home from work. She wanted to get everything figured out before she went and told everybody. She knew her kids wouldn't jump to conclusions, but she didn't want to be labeled a loon.

"That was a nice dinner," Brock commented as him and Reba were preparing to head to bed. It was something Reba wasn't anticipating.

"It was," She agreed. She quietly picked up a few toys Elizabeth had played with an hour before. She put them back in their proper place where they would wait to be played with whenever the little girl visited again.

"We should have everybody over more often. Seems like we're all in a hundred different directions with our own lives that we forget that this is really home."

Reba nodded, but didn't respond vocally. Perhaps what he said was true, though. The brick house on Oak Avenue really was a home to whoever came into it. No matter if you had moved out years before or were still living within its walls, it was a home through and through.

"Van and Cheyenne don't come over much in my normal life," She said as she stacked a few DVDs by the television.

Brock locked the door and walked over to her. "This 'normal life'..."

"Yeah?"

"Is it different than this one?"

She paused, thankful that he was warming up to the idea that this wasn't where she was supposed to be.

"It's a little different," She told him. "I mean, Kyra and Jake still live with me, they still go to school everyday. Van and Cheyenne don't visit as often as I'd like. I miss Elizabeth and Kasey like crazy."

"Who's Kasey?"

Reba looked up at Brock, realizing that in this life, her grandson wasn't around.

"He's our grandbaby. I guess Cheyenne hasn't had him yet here."

"I guess not."

Things were quiet for a moment before Brock asked, "Did I really divorce you?"

Reba slowly made her way to the couch where he sat and perched there with him. "Don't say it like that," She told him. "We divorced each other."

He shook his head. "It just doesn't seem like something that would actually happen."

"I didn't think it would ever happen, either." She sighed, patting his knee. "But it did and it was really for the best."

"Were things really that bad?"

She nodded, sadly. "They were." After she saw the hurt that came over his face, she said, "But it wasn't all your fault. We both played a part in it."

"What happened exactly?"

"Well, we were separated for about six months and just as I was about to ask you if you'd move back home, you sprung the news that you had gotten your dental hygienist pregnant and you were going to marry her. But before that, we just fought constantly. We had no communication skills whatsoever."

He nodded slowly, taking it all in. "So, how is it that we're still together now? What is this?" He pointed around him.

"It's a dream, Brock."

He shook his head. "No, Reba, it's not a dream."

Reba sighed, standing. "Yes, it is. Please don't argue with me."

He stood as well. "Maybe I need to do something to make you see that this isn't a dream."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Brock. Whatever you say." She started up the stairs. "I'm going to bed. But please, do me a favor and sleep down here."

* * *

The next morning, Reba woke up at her normal time. She yawned, stretching before she opened her eyes. Still a bit paranoid, she took a deep breath before taking her first look around her room. Once again, Brock's furniture was no longer there. She gave a sigh of relief, completely sure that she had been dreaming. At first, she was skeptical, but there was no way what she had been through was real.

She continued the morning with her shower, dressing for work and putting her makeup on after fixing her hair. As she went downstairs for breakfast, however, a thought came across her mind. When she fell asleep at work and dreamed all she had, how come she didn't remember waking up and finishing her day?

"Morning, guys," Reba greeted her kids, trying to forget about the odd thought that just crossed her mind.

"I'm going to be late tonight," Kyra responded, not bothering to return her mother's greeting.

"What for?" Reba asked, going straight for the coffee pot.

Kyra got up from the table, placing her empty cereal bowl in the sink. "Band practice and I have a study group after that."

"What about that presentation thing you wrote on the calendar?" Jake asked, looking up from his Gameboy.

"And then there's that along with the million and one other things I have to do today." She sighed. "Hopefully I'll be back before tomorrow."

Reba patted her on the shoulder. "You sure are a hard workin' gal." She kissed the side of her head. "I'll see ya when you get home, okay? Maybe." She winked and smiled.

Kyra nodded and went to grab her backpack. "See you guys later. One question, Mom."

"What's that?"

"Why are you wearing your wedding ring?"

Reba immediately glanced down at her left hand and saw her diamond ring still sitting where it had rested all through her dream. How it got there she had no idea.

"I thought you kept that put away," Kyra said, gathering up a few papers that were on the counter.

"I do..." She pulled the ring off, slipping it in her pocket. She usually kept the ring in an old jewelry box in the back of her closet with all the clothes that didn't fit her anymore. "I don't know where it came from."

"Have you been sleepwalking again, Mom?" Jake asked, turning around in his chair.

"Again?"

Jake nodded. "I saw you in my room the other night. But you were asleep."

Reba raised an eyebrow. "Next time that happens, wake me up." She turned to Kyra. "Get on to school." She turned her around and practically shoved her out the door. "See you later."

When Krya was gone, Reba let Jake go back to his Gameboy while she leaned up against the counter, wondering why she had dug out her wedding ring in her sleep. It made her wonder what else she was doing when she didn't know it. That was when she looked down and noticed her belly was a bit more prominent. She ran a hand over it and felt her breath catch. Was she transporting things from what she thought was a dream? If so, she was pregnant in her normal life and that would certainly raise some eyebrows if noticed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A few of you seemed shocked to find out that she was pregnant. I just wanted to make sure you all knew this in chapter one when I had Brock tell her she was. I'm not sure if y'all missed it or what, but she is in fact pregnant. :p**

* * *

The thought of having a baby in her normal life scared the daylights out of Reba. As she drove to work, her mind was on nothing else. She was worried about her state of mind more than anything. How could she be pregnant when she hadn't been with anyone but Brock when they divorced all those years ago? In her dream, she figured they had made love seeing as how they were apparently married, but how could she be when she woke up? It led her to believe what she saw on television. What if she really was going between to alternate realities? How was she to get back? How was she to explain her odd behavior? What was she going to do to stay in her normal life and stay out of her alternate life? Was it even possible to stop it? Those were the things that ran through her head all day. She was hardly able to focus on her work. Mr McKenzie noticed that her mind didn't seem to be completely running around real estate, so he let her go home early. For that she was thankful. She went straight to the drug store and bought a pregnancy test. Before she did anything, she wanted to be a hundred percent sure she was reality-hopping.

It was nearing two o'clock when she pulled in the driveway. Kyra's little Honda wasn't in there and she knew the bus hadn't dropped Jake off yet, so she didn't have to sneak inside. Gathering her newly bought item plus her purse and briefcase, Reba went inside through the backdoor, but stopped short when she noticed it was unlocked.

She was quiet as she closed the door, knowing someone was in the house. She wasn't sure who, but she wasn't going to take any chances. She stuffed the pregnancy test box in her briefcase and hung up her purse before placing her briefcase under the sink where no one was to find it before she could get it to her room.

"Hello?" She called out, walking into the living room. "I'm home!"

"I'm up here, Mom!"

Reba's ears perked up at Cheyenne's voice and followed it upstairs.

"Grandma!"

Elizabeth came running out of her parent's old room and leaped into Reba's arms. Smiling, Reba hugged the little girl, spinning her around a bit.

"What are you doin', girly?" Reba asked, setting her down.

Elizabeth grabbed her grandmother's hand and led her down the hall. "Mommy's in here."

"Oh? What's she doing?"

The two entered the room that Reba had turned into an office and found Cheyenne sitting at the desk on the computer.

"Hey, Mom," Cheyenne greeted.

"Whatcha up to?" Reba asked, bending down to pick up Kasey from his carrier. "Hey, baby." She bounced him up and down a bit before kissing his little cheeks.

"Van broke our computer playing badminton so I came over to use yours."

"I don't even want to know how he did that, but it's no problem." Reba felt Elizabeth tug at her shirt so she looked down. "What, honey?"

"Can I stay over tonight?"

"Well..."

"Pleassssseeeeee, Grandma?" She stuck out her bottom lip and clasped her little hands together.

Reba glanced over at her daughter. "I don't mind if you don't," She told her.

Cheyenne shrugged. "I don't mind. It's not a school night. You can even keep Kasey. I mean, if you want to..." She trailed off and looked down at the floor, hoping her Mom would offer.

"You're lucky I love these kids, Cheyenne." Reba hugged Elizabeth to her as the little girl wrapped her arms around her legs. "You're always leavin' 'em with me."

"If you don't want to..."

"I'm teasing, Cheyenne. You know I love having them here." She pointed to the crib in the corner of the room with her head. "Why do you think I keep that here? For looks?"

Cheyenne smiled. "They love staying here."

"I know." Reba smiled right along with her, turning her attention to Kasey, talking in a baby voice. "And I love having them here just the same. Yes, I do." She rubbed her nose against his to make him giggle.

"Hey, what's this?"

Reba looked down to see Elizabeth holding something up, admiring it in the light. The more Reba looked, she realized it was her wedding ring. Elizabeth must have dug it out of her pocket while she wasn't looking. Immediately, Reba snatched it from her and held it in her hand.

"It's nothing," She said.

"Hey!" Elizabeth hollered.

"You can't have that," Reba told her.

"What was it?" Cheyenne asked, standing up.

"Nothing. It was nothing." She handed Kasey to her daughter before placing the ring back in her pocket. "Why don't we go downstairs and have a snack, okay?" She looked at Elizabeth. "What do you say?" She grabbed the little girl's hand and led her out of the room before Cheyenne could ask anymore questions. The last thing she needed was Kyra, Jake _and_ Cheyenne on her case.

* * *

When Cheyenne left, Reba put Kasey down for a nap and turned on a video for Elizabeth in the living room. She gave her a snack and quickly moved her briefcase from under the sink to her room where she unboxed the pregnancy test. Setting it on the counter, she took a deep breath, wondering what she would do should it come out positive.

After she took it, she silently counted out the minutes until it was ready to show the results. She made it a point not to look at it until it was time. She counted to sixty three times then once more for good measure.

When she saw two pink lines, her heart nearly stopped. She had actually carried a baby over into another universe. Her legs were weak as she sat down on the edge of the bathtub. Breathing in steadily, she put her head in her hands. She had to wonder if she was going crazy. She ran her hands over her face as she thought about the wreck she had had with Brock right before Kyra was born. Her mind concocted the possibility of that wreck catapulting her into the world she knew as her normal one and the wreck she had a few days ago sent her right back into the one where her and Brock never divorced. She wondered if the years and memories she remembered really happened. What if she found out they never really were, that they were simply a figment of her imagination? Which life was her real one? The one she was destined to have before she was even born?

* * *

That night, Reba put Kasey to bed after reading him a bedtime story. He was sound asleep when she gave Elizabeth her bath and dressed her in the pajamas Reba kept for her when she slept over.

"Can we watch a movie?" Elizabeth asked when she danced into Reba's room after her bath.

"I don't think so, honey," Reba told her, pulling back the covers on her bed. "It's late. We can watch a movie tomorrow, alright?"

"Can we just watch a short one?"

"Elizabeth, honey, it's late, okay? You need your rest. I can turn on the radio for you to listen to."

She sighed. "Okay."

"Alright. Get on into bed."

The little girl jumped on the opposite side of Reba and snuggled down under the covers while Reba turned on the radio that was sitting on her dresser. She turned it to a country station and lowered the volume before turning on the bathroom light, leaving the door ajar so Elizabeth wouldn't get scared in a pitch dark room.

"I'm going to go check on Kasey. I'll be right back."

Elizabeth nodded, bringing the covers up to her chin as she watched Reba leave the room to check on her brother.

The baby was still asleep in the crib. His little belly was moving up and down with each breath and he looked so peaceful. Reba ran her fingers over his forehead very carefully so she wouldn't wake him, and told him goodnight. She leaned on his crib and wondered what would happen to her two grandchildren should she cross over again. A part of her knew they would be just fine, but she couldn't help but wonder what happened to them while she reality-hopped.

* * *

Reba woke up the next morning to Patsy Cline's voice singing softly throughout the room. Opening her eyes, she saw Elizabeth still asleep beside her. During the night, Reba must have scooted closer to her because her arm was over her back protectively as she was sprawled out, laying on her belly with her mouth wide open. Reba smiled and kissed her forehead before standing up to turn off the radio. She'd let the little girl sleep in before she got her up for breakfast. It was still fairly early, anyway.

Reba slipped her robe on and shut her bedroom door on her way out. She padded down the stairs, eager to get into the kitchen and get some coffee made. She wanted some and knew Kyra would probably need it after her late night. As she rounded the corner to continue into the living room, she saw that someone was lying on her couch. Upon further examination, she saw that it was Brock. She gasped rather loudly and stopped walking. She had transported during the night. With Elizabeth.

The commotion she made woke Brock up because he began stirring under the sheet that was draped over him. Reba was frozen. She didn't know what to do. She had to get Elizabeth back to where she belonged. What if the little girl woke up and discovered what had happened? Reba wondered if she could even tell should she wake up.

Slowly, Reba began to back up the steps, hoping Brock wouldn't hear her anymore. If she could escape back into her room, she figured she could go back to sleep and wake up in Elizabeth's normal life. As Brock woke up more, Reba walked quickly down the hall and back into her room, closing the door behind her. She gently crawled back into bed and slipped under the covers, laying her head down on the pillow and trying to relax. Her heart was beating rather fast and she wasn't the least bit sleepy anymore. She prayed Brock wouldn't come in to wake her up because he would wake Elizabeth as well. So, Reba just laid there with Elizabeth and prayed until she fell back asleep, hoping she could get her granddaughter back where she belonged.


	5. Chapter 5

Reba watched Elizabeth run around the backyard while she sat in one of the lawn chairs holding Kasey. She expected Cheyenne to be back to pick up the kids any minute, but Reba didn't mind her running a bit late. She enjoyed the time with her grandchildren immensely. Thankfully, her and Elizabeth had been transported back to their regular life and Elizabeth didn't seem to have any memory of her reality-hopping. For that, Reba was thankful.

"Hey, Red."

Reba looked up to see Brock coming out through the double doors, drinks in hand.

"What are you up to?"

He plopped down in one of the chairs next to Reba and handed her one of the beers he was holding. "Nothing much. Just thought I'd come over and hang out."

Reba rolled her eyes, handing her drink back to Brock. "Open this for me. Put yourself to good use."

Brock took the drink from her, admiring the baby asleep on her chest. "All tuckered out, huh?"

"What?"

Brock nodded towards his grandson. "He sick or something?"

"No. We've been at the park today. He was running around on the little jungle gym."

"Ah." He handed her the opened bottle, placing the cap next to his on the ground. "Did they sleep here last night?"

Reba nodded, taking a drink. Just as she was about to swallow, she squealed and leaned forward, spitting everything into the grass. Kasey woke up and looked around, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"What the hell?" Brock asked.

Reba's eyes were wide as she stared at the grass. She was pregnant. She couldn't drink. How she was supposed to explain that to Brock, she didn't know. She usually poured herself a glass of Bourbon everyday after dinner. Slowly, she wiped her mouth, handing Brock the bottle.

"It's not fresh," She told him.

He blinked a few times. "I just broke the seal."

"It doesn't taste right."

"I'll get you another one."

"No!"

Brock looked at her. "Okay..."

"I'm sorry," She said, rubbing Kasey's back to get him to fall back asleep. "Trying to cut back."

Brock laughed. "You? Cut back on alcohol?"

"It'll be good for me. There's too much sugar in beer, anyway."

"Whatever you say, Red." He leaned back and took a swig of his own drink, glancing at her as he did.

"You don't have to taunt me."

With a laugh, he shook his head and sighed. "You're the one torturing yourself."

* * *

The next morning, Reba woke up with Brock next to her. It wasn't necessarily surprising at this point. Still a little odd, but not surprising. She recalled her conversation with him the night before as they watched Elizabeth play in the backyard and she watched him drink the beer that was hers. It was nice to be able to talk with him and not argue. After seven years, they had finally gotten to that point and she was glad. She missed their conversations. The deep, meaningful ones and the silly, useless ones.

Sighing, she looked over at his sleeping body. He looked so sweet when he slept. She always thought that. Without thinking, she reached out and ran her fingers across his forehead and into his hair, raking her fingers through it. He shifted and opened his eyes, looking over at her.

"Morning, baby."

He hadn't called her anything but Reba in years. She didn't know how she felt about his choice of a pet name, but she found herself smirking.

"Baby?"

"Yeah. Baby. Honey. Gorgeous. They all fit you."

"You want something, don't you?"

He rolled over onto his side to face her. "No." He brushed her hair out of her eyes, lingering lovingly for a moment. "You seem like yourself again this morning."

She shrugged, moving her hand to his and grasping it. "I'm still trying to figure out what this whole thing means."

"Maybe you're almost there."

"I hope so. I'd love to have it solved already."

He moved his hand and sat up. "I'd love to be able to fix it for you." He stood and walked over to his closet and chose a pair of trousers and a shirt for the day. "You feel good enough to come back to work? You've been out for almost a week."

She rolled on her back, realizing that she hadn't done much in her alternate life other than lay around and watch television all day. Occasionally, she'd do the dishes or tidy up the living room, but for the most part, she liked the break.

"I guess so," She said.

He walked back over to the bed. "If you don't feel up to it, you don't have to." He smiled.

"I will." She noticed his grin. "What?"

He shrugged. "I was just going to suggest me not going in either."

"Why not? No use in us both being out today."

"Well, you're not particularly resistible right now."

She rolled her eyes. "I just woke up, Brock. I'm sure I'm a mess." She combed her fingers through her hair and ran her hands over her face.

"Your sleep hair reminds me of your sex hair."

Her eyes went wide and her cheeks went red. She was sure Brock noticed because he chuckled.

"Too soon?" He asked.

She nodded as he turned to go into the bathroom for a shower. She stuck her head under the covers and closed her eyes, wondering why she let herself find meaning in his words. As far as she knew, this wasn't her correct reality. She had to stop letting his forever charming smile, words, and touches affect her heart. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling it wouldn't make things any easier come time to settle into her correct reality.


	6. Chapter 6

Reba remembered some of what she did when she used to work for Brock. It was basically making appointments and keeping them organized while getting insurance straightened out and such. It wasn't hard work at all and she handled it well for the most part.

"When's my next patient?" Brock asked, walking into the empty waiting room. He had just finished up with a little kid in the examining room. "One o'clock?"

Reba nodded, crossing a few things off a to-do list she had made up for the day. "Yep. One o'clock. Theresa Mitchell. It's just a teeth cleaning."

"That's what I thought."

Reba looked up. "You get everything cleaned up in there?"

"Lisa's in there doing that," He told her, referring to the dental hygienist that had replaced Barbra Jean. She seemed nice enough to Reba.

"Oh."

Brock nodded. "So, you want to come in my office for some lunch before my next appointment?"

Reba put a hand over her belly. "Oh, no. I'm not very hungry at all. My stomach's a bit unsettled."

"Aw, come on. At least come in there and sit down with me so I don't have to eat alone." He put out his bottom lip and looked at her with his puppy dog eyes.

Reba scoffed. "You're going to pull the sad puppy dog act?"

He nodded, lip still out. "Pwease, Reba?"

She rolled her eyes, stepping out from behind the counter. "You're such a little boy sometimes." She started down the hall, hearing him follow her closely. After a moment, he caught up to her and placed his hand on the small of her back, just to show affection. When they arrived at his office, he opened the door for her and let her go in first. She smiled at the gesture and sat down in his office chair as he closed the door.

"Hey, that's my chair, Red," He told her, shrugging off his white coat, hanging it on the coat rack by the door.

She leaned back, resting her arms on the chair's rests. "It's mine now."

He looked at her mischievously. "Don't make me forcefully remove you."

She arched an eyebrow before lifting her feet to place on his desk.

"Now you're asking for it." He moved towards her as she curled up in a ball, trying to get away from him.

"Brock!" She hollered as he reached under her knees and behind her back to lift her from his chair. "Put me down!"

He tried to pick her up put she uncurled from her ball and accidentally kicked him right between the legs.

"_Ugh!_" He doubled over in pain, dropping her back into his chair. "Son of a bitch, Reba."_  
_

She covered her mouth with a gasp. "Brock! I'm so sorry!"

He sat down on the floor and put his head between his knees, breathing deeply. She knelt down beside him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Brock, are you okay? I didn't mean to kick you."

"I'm fine," He said, his tone low.

"Does it hurt too terribly bad?"

He slowly lifted his head and looked at her. "What do you think?"

She frowned. "I really am sorry."

He nodded. "You always seem to kick me in the nuts at the most inopportune time."

"What do you mean?"

He kind of laughed. "You think I brought you in here to have lunch?"

"That's what you said..."

He laid back on the carpet, knees up, sighing and trying to will the pain away. "You really are from a dream, aren't you?"

"Do what?"

"We always come in here for 'lunch'." He placed air quotes around his last word and Reba's eyes widened. How could she forget? There wasn't a place in that office they hadn't christened at one time or another.

"Brock," She said. "I told you I don't feel comfortable with any of that yet."

He rolled his eyes as she leaned over him. "Well, when will you?"

"When I figure this whole mess out. I told you that. Would you believe I woke up with Elizabeth this morning? I accidentally transported her here from my normal life."

"Why do you call it your normal life?"

"Because it's what I remember best."

He sat up with a grunt. "But why would you want to be in a life where we're divorced and out of love?"

"I haven't loved you like a husband in years, Brock."

"Then maybe you should let me change that."

She looked at him, wondering how she would get him to believe her and not think she was crazy.

"Brock, we can't. I wouldn't feel comfortable with it."

"You don't want to?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?" He chuckled. "It's not like it's our first time."

"I know that..."

"Do you remember our first time?"

"Of course I do."

"In my room at my dorm. You were shaking like a leaf."

She looked away momentarily. "I was just a baby."

"You were eighteen."

"Yeah, a baby. Too young to be doing any of what I was doing."

"What you didn't know was that I was just as scared as you."

"I knew that. Your palms were all sweaty." She couldn't help but grin. "You kept asking me, 'Are you sure? Are you sure?'."

"I didn't want you do something you'd regret later."

"I knew what I was doing, even though I was so young."

He shook his head with a smile. "We were so crazy. Hardly knew how to use a condom."

Her eyes widened and she laughed. "Brock!"

"Well, I had trouble with it..."

She held up a hand. "Okay. Enough." However, she had to smile. "It was sweet, though."

"First time always is."

She nodded, finally realizing how she'd show him how she was telling the truth about reality-hopping. That she wasn't some crazy loon like he probably thought. She just had to get up the courage to actually do it.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Reba woke up in her normal reality. She had breakfast with Jake and Kyra like normal and headed off to work with a to-go cup of coffee in hand. The day went pretty well if she had to think about it. She sold a house, had a nice business lunch with some potential clients and didn't punch the annoying new realtor down the hall. The only downside was she had to stay an hour late to get some last minute filing done.

**Could you pick up some dinner? Jake and I are tired of meatloaf and pork chops**.

Reba smiled at the text from Kyra. She had just gathered up her purse and other belongings when her phone buzzed, alerting her of a new message. She told her daughter she'd pick up some Chinese takeout and be right home.

Driving along to the restaurant, Reba thought about the previous day and her plans of making the other Brock believe she really wasn't lying or crazy or whatever it was he thought was going on. She had decided to transport with him but was very apprehensive about it. If something went wrong and she couldn't get him back, she didn't think she could live with two Brocks. One at a time was plenty.

When she arrived at her destination, she ordered plenty of food for her and the kids and sat down on one of the benches by the entrance to wait. As she was checking her email on her phone, she sensed someone walk up beside her.

"You're going to turn into an email one of these days."

Reba looked up to see Brock standing beside her with his hands in his pockets and that grin of his.

"What?"

He nodded towards her phone, joining her on the bench. "Your phone. You always have your nose in it checking your email, checking your text messages."

She locked her phone, placing it in her lap. "I do not."

"Sure you do. You couldn't go one day without it."

"My whole life is in there."

He scoffed. "See? You're worse than the kids with their high-tech stuff."

"Brock, I have my agenda in there. Phone numbers of clients, important appointments, reminders. It's more than just a toy." She sat back in her seat, realizing that she had raised up when he sat down as if to tower over him. "Did you follow me here to complain about what I do in my spare time or what?"

"Just getting a bite to eat."

"Tables and booths are over there. This area is for takeout only."

"Which is why I'm sitting here."

She sighed. "Whatever. Just be quiet." She unlocked her phone and tried to ignore him. He was getting on her nerves at the moment.

"There you go again."

She let her hand fall to her lap, phone intact. "Will you hush up and let me be?"

He shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation."

"Can you find another way to do it? Talk to yourself."

"You mean like you do?"

"I do not talk to myself."

He looked at her like she had twelve heads. "Yes, you do. All the time."

"Brock, I do not."

"Reba, I catch you mumbling to yourself almost every time I'm around you."

"Well, I'm the only one that understands me."

He chuckled. "I think it's cute. You've done it for as long as I can remember."

She didn't respond. Instead, she blushed. He hadn't complimented her in several months. At least before his divorce from Barbra Jean. It was odd because he was available, for lack of a better word. She didn't want him to get any ideas.

"I remember I'd come home from work and come into the kitchen and there you'd be: making dinner and talking to yourself about all the things you still had to get done. Fold the laundry, dust the ceiling fans, water the outside plants. Either that or you'd be singing. No radio or anything. Just you and your voice."

"Well, that was a long time ago. I don't do those things anymore."

"What? Sing?"

"That and worry about all the things I have to do. I was so consumed with creating the perfect household that I hardly found time to enjoy it. I learned to let loose."

"Loose is good."

"When you know how to do it. You can't be too loose." She glanced at him, wondering if he caught her point.

Whether he did or not, she didn't know. He didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "Sometimes I miss coming home and hearing you singing in the kitchen. Pots and pans clattering, the kids screaming, the dog we didn't have not barking."

She looked at him with a puzzled look and laughed. "What?"

"I don't know. Thought I'd get a laugh."

She giggled a bit. "Reminds me of our conversation yesterday."

"What conversation?"

That's when she remembered that she hadn't spoken to this Brock in a few days. She really had to start paying attention to those sorts of things. She wasn't ready for this reality to know about her reality hopping just yet.

"Oh, nothing," She told him. "Never mind. It wasn't you. It was someone else I had the conversation with. Slipped my mind."

Just then, her name was called, signalling her order was ready. She got up, paid and stopped before heading out the door. "I'll see you later, Brock."

"Maybe I'll drop by tomorrow."

"Maybe." She gave him a friendly smile and exited the restaurant.

As she drove down the road, she thought about how nice it was to be able to have a good talk with her ex-husband. It was nice to have those friend talks with him again. They kind of drifted when he divorced Barbra Jean but was slowly making himself available to the family again.

_He better find himself another woman soon, _she thought. _He never was good single. Always works better with a woman directing him in the right direction._

As she braked at a stoplight, she checked her rear-view mirror and noticed a black SUV riding her bumper. She rolled her eyes, hating how people did that. There was plenty of road to drive on. Why people had to get all up in her space, she had no idea.

She kept driving along, keeping an eye on the vehicle as she did so. As she came back from a look for about the twentieth time, her eyes focused in on the road and zeroed in on a turtle that had managed to walk out into the road. So far, he had managed to escape the aggressive tires of the people that narrowly missed him as they were driving by. However, he kept turtling on and Reba knew if she didn't brake, she'd hit him and she couldn't bear to do that. Bracing herself, she slowed down and sure enough, the SUV that was riding her tail at a semi-fast speed, hit her in the back end, sending her head first into the steering wheel.


	8. Chapter 8

"If I ever have another daggum wreck ever again, I'm going to pound somebody in the face."

Reba stomped into her house with a huff and slammed the door, startling Kyra and Jake who were sitting in the living room watching television.

"You had another wreck?" Kyra asked, the corners of her mouth turning up into an exact replica of her father's mischievous smile.

"Yes, and I don't need a smart aleck comment from you."

Kyra held up a hand. "When have you known me to make sarcastic comments?"

Reba gave her a look as she hung up her purse on the rack by the door. "Very funny." She walked over and set the plastic bag of food on the coffee table. "Try not to devour it all in one sitting."

The two kids dug in as Reba sighed, tossing her shoes by the chair, too tired and frustrated over having to wait for a police officer and get information from the person who hit her to care whether or not her belongings were in their rightful place.

"Are you not going to eat, Mom?" Jake asked as Reba began walking up the stairs.

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. It's almost eight thirty. I'll just head to bed, I think." She stopped halfway up the stairs before turning. "I think there's just something about Chinese food and car wrecks with me this week. From now on, we stay away from both."

"Fine with me," Kyra said. "This orange chicken sucks anyway."

Reba sighed. "Never mind I could have been killed."

"I bet you weren't even doing ten miles an hour when you got hit both times," Kyra responded, looking up at her mother. "But I am glad you're okay."

Reba rolled her eyes, knowing Kyra didn't even understand the half of how she most certainly was not okay. For one thing, she was concerned about her baby with all these wrecks she was having. And it wasn't as if she wasn't being careful. She had always been a responsible driver. It was almost as if the wrecks were bound to happen no matter what. Almost as if fate had a say in it. "I'll see you two in the morning."

They all said their goodnights and Reba headed up to bed, getting into her pajamas and taking an Aspirin for her headache before settling down in her comfy bed. She had just washed her sheets that morning and was grateful she did so. It was always nice to climb into a clean bed for the night. She fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The dull throbbing of her headache was gone when she awoke the next morning. Shifting in bed and not wanting to get up just yet, she rubbed her hand over her face and eyes and rolled over just a bit, surprising herself when she smiled at the sight of Brock. She wasn't sure she liked getting used to seeing him in her bed every other morning. She knew nothing had gone on other than the few kisses on the cheek he had snuck, but it was still nice in an odd way.

It was nice to be able to have a conversation with him and not hear some sarcastic remark and she found herself blushing whenever she thought of how in this reality, he always had her back no matter what. He loved her in a completely different way in this alternate universe. She found herself liking it the more she stayed in it.

"How long are you going to stare at me?"

She smiled at his voice as he opened his eyes. "Sorry."

He moved closer to her. "I don't mind." He wrapped his arms around her and settled back into a sleepy state, fixing his nose in the crook of her neck and breathing in.

She was taken aback. It was definitely the closest they had been since this whole ordeal. Sure, they had hugged after they divorced, but here, he loved her as his wife. Who knows what his next move would be.

"Brock..." She whispered, trying not to be so stiff. She so badly wanted to relax in his arms but couldn't bring herself to do so just yet.

"What?" He groaned.

"Remember what I keep telling you?"

"Is this too close?" He asked, his voice muffled.

"Just a bit," She said softly.

Sighing, he backed away from her and went back to his own side of the bed and laid on his own pillow. "I miss holding you."

She averted her eyes from him. "I've been thinking about how I can show you that I'm not making all this up."

"Oh, really?"

She nodded. "But we'll have to be careful. I don't want you to get stuck in another reality and me not be able to get you back."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine."

She sensed the doubt and sarcasm in his voice, but ignored it. She knew how crazy she sounded, but she had to show him that she wasn't insane.

"I can take you to the reality where we're divorced."

"How?"

She looked back up at him now. "Well, whenever I fall asleep is when I reality hop."

"Reality hop? Is that what it's called?"

"It's what I call it."

"Some call it dreaming."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you going to be a jackass or are you going to be nice and go along with me?"

"Sorry. I'll play along."

"I said go along. This isn't a game."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. What do I have to do?"

"Nothing really. We just have to fall asleep touching." She looked him square in the eye. "Nothing big, just holding hands or something simple."

He moved his hand to hers and grasped it. "Like this?"

"That's fine." She closed her eyes. "Now, we sleep."

As she drifted away, she felt Brock gently rubbing her hand like he used to in the early days of their marriage when she had been afraid of the dark and he had held her hand to ease her nerves. She wondered if he was thinking of the same memory as she finally fell asleep.

* * *

The time she was asleep was more like a short nap. She didn't sleep the day away or anything like that, but felt more refreshed this time than when she had woken up earlier.

Opening her eyes, she saw that her and Brock were still holding hands. His eyes were still closed in sleep, one hand tucked under his head. Moving a bit, Reba tried to get him to wake up. When he stirred and opened his eyes, the first groggy words out of his mouth were, "Did it work?"

She smiled. "Of course it did." She pulled her hand from his and sat up, looking around the room. But something wasn't right. All of Brock's furniture was still there. His clothes still hung in his closet and his shoes were still by the bedroom door, his golf clubs in the corner. It was their room instead of her room, like it was supposed to be.

"Why is your stuff still here?" She asked, trying to make sense of it all.

He sat up as well, rubbing his eyes. "What?"

"Your stuff." She pointed to his dresser and end table. "This stuff isn't supposed to be in my normal reality."

He sighed, getting out of bed. "Because this is your normal reality, Reba. Did you really think you'd be able to transport somewhere?"

She looked up at him. "But you went along with it..."

"If I hadn't, you would have griped at me until I did."

She sunk back into her pillows as he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door and turning on the shower. Her heart was beating right out of her chest, it seemed like. She had gone to sleep and hadn't transported and she had no clue why. The possible reasons why ran through her head but nothing made sense at the moment. Her fear was heightened and she just wished she wasn't so alone in this scary limbo between two worlds.


	9. Chapter 9

Reba went on about her day like the morning incident never happened. She was content on pretending her and Brock didn't transport and they'd just have to try again that night. She was trying to convince herself that it could only happen at night. When midnight passed over or something of the sort. But when she didn't have dental office work to distract her, her thoughts went right back to it.

"Whatcha doin'?" Brock asked, interrupting Reba's thoughts as he walked into the kitchen after the two got home from work.

"Just making dinner," She responded, trying to gather ingredients to make a casserole. "Is Kyra back yet?"

Brock went to the refrigerator and peered in. "I don't think so."

Reba nodded, unable to drag her mind away from her previous thoughts much more.

"What's for dinner?"

"Hmm?" Reba looked up.

"What's for dinner?" Brock came up behind her, placing a hand on the small of her back. She shuddered a bit at his touch, trying not to let it show.

"Just a Mexican casserole recipe I read in a magazine earlier today," She told him, taking a deep breath as his hand inched lower as he let go.

"It smells good," He said, walking around the counter to sit down and talk to her while she cooked. "Did you order those antibiotics I told you about at the office?"

Reba nodded absentmindedly, only half listening to him as she prepared dinner. She hardly noticed Jake walk in the back door.

"Hey, bud," Brock greeted, nudging his son as he walked by. "Where have you been?"

"Basketball practice," The teenager responded, going to the refrigerator in search of food.

"It's good you're going," Brock said in a teasing voice. "What are you looking for? Your mom's making dinner."

Jake closed the door and looked over. "What are we having?"

Reba didn't hear him ask her anything, so she didn't respond. Jake kind of looked at his father before Brock looked towards his wife.

"Reba?"

She lifted her eyes to him. "Yes?"

"Jake just asked you a question."

Reba looked around the room, finally settling on her son that was to her right. "Honey, I didn't see you come in," She admitted, putting on a smile for him. "What was it you needed?"

He blinked a few times before repeating his question to which Reba answered.

"It'll be done here shortly," She told him. "Do you want to go set the table?" She pointed towards a stack of plates with her head and Jake slowly went off into the dining room with them and a pile of forks and napkins.

When he disappeared into the other room, Brock turned his attention towards her. "Reba, are you feeling alright?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Just a little confused is all."

"About what?"

"What happened this morning. I'm just wondering why we couldn't transfer together this morning."

Brock sighed and leaned back in his chair. "That again."

"You asked."

"Because I'm trying to care about you. It's my job as a husband."

"Then don't get angry when I answer you."

"I'm not angry, it's just frustrating."

"So you've said."

He rolled his eyes and stood from his chair. "I'm going to go help Jake."

Reba watched him walk into the other room and pushed the pan she was working with away from her, folding her arms and leaning against the stove. Brock sure did know how to make her feel pathetic and stupid sometimes. It was one thing she didn't particularly care for about him.

* * *

"Dinner was good, Mom."

Reba smiled at her son as he helped clear the table. "Thank you, sweetie."

"Yeah, it was pretty good." Brock leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. "Put that one in your recipe box. I liked that one."

"You just keep leaving those cooking magazines in the waiting room at the office," Reba told him, picking up everyone's plates, stacking them on top of one another. "There's more where that came from."

Brock's phone rang in response to her words and she kind of stopped clearing the table.

"You have your phone on?" She asked as he stood. She watched as he nodded.

"I have to take this." He answered it and actually went upstairs to take it. It was very unlike him. Usually, like her, when they were married, both agreed that dinner time was family time and phone calls and such would be for after they ate and got everything cleaned up.

"Wonder who that was..." Reba said to no one in particular as she followed her son into the kitchen.

"Probably some dentist friend of his," Jake offered, beginning to load the dishwasher.

"Maybe..." She set the dishes on the counter. "Finish loading that and I'll be back to wipe down the counters."

She dusted her hands off on her jeans and walked into the living room and up the stairs after Brock, finally hearing his voice as she neared the bedroom where he was.

"She's just been saying some crazy stuff," She heard him say. "Really off the wall things. I'm getting concerned. If there's any way I could get her in to see you, that would be great."

Reba swallowed as she listened outside the closed door. Was he talking about her to someone? She hadn't wanted anyone to know of her being able to transport to different realities until she got it figured out for this very reason. People would think she was a crazy person and stick her in the looney bin. But surely Brock wouldn't let anything like that happen.

"She's usually very stable," He continued. "Unless her routine gets messed up or something."

There was a pause and Reba assumed whoever was on the other line was speaking.

"Right," Brock finally said. "No, no that's not too early. Friday morning at nine o'clock. We'll be there. Thank you again."

Before she had a chance to move, Brock opened the door and nearly ran into her. He reached out and held onto her shoulders trying to stable himself.

"Reba. What are you doing?"

"Were you talking about me in there?" She pointed behind him with serious eyes.

"It's not what you think..."

"Then please explain, because it sure sounded like you think I'm crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy."

"Then where are we going Friday morning at nine o'clock?"

"We're going to see a psychologist."

"A what?"

"A psychologist."

"Why?"

"Because you haven't been yourself lately and I want my wife back."

"Brock, that's ridiculous-"

"I _need_ my wife back."

"I don't need to go talk to someone who doesn't know a thing about me. I don't need to be fixed."

"Reba, you're blowing this out of proportion."

She shook her head, turning and walking down the steps. "I'm not going. Today, tomorrow or Friday morning at nine o'clock."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you angry with me?"

Reba rolled her eyes as she rolled over in bed, turning away from Brock who was climbing in beside her. When she didn't answer, he sighed.

"Reba?"

"What?" She asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Are you angry with me?"

"I'm ignoring you. What do you think?"

"I only made the appointment because I care about you."

"Well, it made me feel worse than I already do. Don't you think I feel crazy enough?" She rolled over and looked up at him. "I don't need a stranger telling me that. I'm going to figure this out for myself."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just trying to help you out."

"I don't need any help."

He laid down beside her, pulling the covers roughly over himself and turning his back towards her.

"You know, this arrangement really sucks for me. Think about it. You wake up one morning and you have yourself convinced you're not my wife anymore. It's really unfair to me. You're only thinking of how this is affecting you and that's not okay."

She didn't respond and he didn't say anything else. She just let his words sink in as she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning came sooner than she hoped. When she opened her eyes, the sun was shining directly into them. She held her hand over her face to shield her eyes and faintly thought about how good it was to be back in her normal reality for another day.

She felt the bed shift suddenly and rolled over, squinting at the sunlight as she saw Brock sit up and throw the covers off of him.

"What?" She mumbled.

"Huh?" Brock asked, looking over his shoulder as he sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand over his face.

"You're here..."

He shook his head without any verbal response and stood, walking into the bathroom. Reba laid there in bed, her mind racing. Why hadn't she transported? Why was she still here and married to Brock? She was beginning to wonder if she really was crazy and that her "normal" reality was just a dream.

"No," She whispered, sitting up, placing her head in her hands. "That's not true. You're not crazy. You're not crazy."

"Reba? What are you doing?"

She looked up to see Brock standing at the foot of the bed.

"What?" She asked.

"What were you just saying to yourself?"

She shook her head and stood. "Nothing."

Before she could escape into the privacy of the bathroom, Brock grabbed her arm. "Reba, you need some help."

She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "No, I don't. I'm going to get back home and I'll never have to deal with this side of you again."

She gave him one last look before going into the bathroom, slamming the door as she did so.

* * *

The next day was Friday and Brock had literally forced Reba to go to see the psychologist. The two sat in the waiting room until the doctor finished up with another patient. Brock tried to justify his actions to her several times that morning, but Reba wasn't hearing it. She was appalled that he would ever think she was crazy or lying or whatever it was he thought was wrong with her and drag her to see a shrink. When they got divorced, she was the one encouraging everyone to talk to therapists and counselors and got upset when no one wanted to. Now she understood. Being made to talk to someone about your problems was no fun. In fact, it felt like an invasion of privacy.

"You can't make me talk to her," Reba said after they had sat there for awhile.

"You're right," Brock told her. "I can't. I hope you will, though. Maybe she can help you."

"Nobody can help me. It's not a psychological problem. It's a universal problem."

"That sounds ridiculous, Reba."

"Whatever happened to being behind me no matter what?"

"I am behind you or I'd never have brought you here. I'm protecting you like a good husband should."

Just as he said that, the doors to the doctor's office opened and she stepped out, shaking her patient's hand and watching as they left, soon turning her attention to Reba.

"Mrs. Hart?" She asked.

Brock nudged her arm and Reba reluctantly stood. "Yes."

"Please, come in."

Reba saw the doctor give Brock a look as she entered the office that was tastefully decorated. Reba took a seat on the couch that stood against the wall before the doctor could tell her so. She shut the door and sat down in a chair in front of the couch.

"Well, before we get started, I think introductions are in order. I'm Marie Richie." She held out her perfectly manicured hand and Reba held out her own.

"Reba Hart."

"How are you doing today, Mrs. Hart?" She flipped through a legal pad, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. She was considerably younger than Reba.

"I'm fine. You can call me Reba."

Marie smiled and looked up. "Okay. And you can call me Marie." She clicked her pen and wrote down a few things at the top of a page. "Your husband has briefed me on some of the things that he's been concerned about. Would you like to discuss some of them?"

"Not necessarily."

"That's okay. We can talk about something else. Do you have any children?"

"Three." She put a hand over her belly. "In a few months, four."

"Congratulations." She smiled brightly. "I have a son. He's four years old. Are your kids young?"

"Two are grown, one's thirteen."

"And the fourth was a surprise blessing?"

"I don't remember. I wasn't here when it happened."

Marie nodded and wrote down more on her paper. "What do you mean you weren't here when it happened?"

"I just wasn't here. I wasn't married to Brock. Although, I'm sure you already know all about this, what with your secret phone calls to my husband."

"I can assure you our conversations only consisted of his concern for you." She looked up. "I would like to point out, however, you referred to him as your husband just now. Are you starting to accept that this is your real reality?"

Reba sighed. "I've gotten so used to calling him that in the few weeks I've been flip flopping between universes."

"Is that what's been happening?"

"It's the only explanation I can come up with."

Marie nodded. "What do you think caused this?"

"My car wreck."

"Can you tell me a little bit about that?"

"Someone rear-ended me and I hit my head on the steering wheel. When I woke up the next morning, I was married to Brock and pregnant with his baby. Ever since then, whenever I go to sleep and wake up, I'm in a different reality."

"And the other one being where you and Brock are divorced?"

"Yes. One thing that scares me though is that right after I had my second child, I was in a wreck just like the one I had a few weeks ago. Makes me wonder if that catapulted me into the reality I consider my normal one and when I had my second wreck, it sent me back into my actual normal one. Only thing is, I had a third one the other day. Ever since, I haven't transported again. Brock thinks I'm dreaming. I tried to travel with him and couldn't. I was supposed to be in my normal universe yesterday and I wasn't. I was in this one. I can't travel anymore."

The whole time, Marie was writing down all of Reba's information, listening intently.

"I just don't want anyone to think I'm crazy," Reba said quietly. "I can handle this myself, but I know Brock. He won't stop bringing me here until I talk to you. Figured I'd just get it done with so I can sort everything out and get back to my real life."

Marie nodded. "Understandable. But Reba, I can assure you, this is not some strange dream. This is reality. It's real."

Reba shrugged. "Whether it is or isn't, I'm not familiar with it and I don't like it."

"So even if it's where you're supposed to be, you don't want to be here?"

"No."


	11. Chapter 11

A week went by and Reba still did not transfer. When she went to sleep, she woke up in her reality where her and Brock were still married. Brock hadn't mentioned the psychologist again and for that, Reba was glad. She had no desire to go back to that place.

"You about ready?" Brock's voice came closer as he walked up behind her.

Reba nodded, applying a second coat of mascara to her eyelashes as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The two were fixing to head to the doctor's office for an ultrasound. As she was placing her mascara in its rightful drawer and pulling out her blush, Brock wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her belly.

"Have you felt him move yet?" He asked.

She shook her head, focusing on her makeup as he moved his hands a bit.

"Will you tell me when it happens?"

She looked at him through the mirror. "Of course."

His hands wandered lower and he lightly touched her inner thighs, making her slightly uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" She slammed the things she was holding down on the counter and turned around.

"What?" He asked.

"You know good and well what."

He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. "No matter what I do or how hard I try, you just won't budge. You haven't let me touch you in three weeks."

"Because. We. Are. Not. Married." She poked his chest hard with each word.

"How do you do it?"

"How do I do what?"

"I've done several things to try and get you worked up and nothing. It's like you have a switch to flip. If you would just let me show you..."

He tried to step closer but she held him at arm's length with her hand on his chest. "I can't."

He grabbed her wrist and drew it away from him, walking towards her, backing her up against the bathroom counter. She could feel him through his pants already and where she could feel it made her nervous.

"Brock, please..."

He bent down to kiss her neck, ignoring her request for him to stop. His hand ran down her side to grasp the back of her thigh, his other hand inching toward her chest. When his hand cupped her breast was when she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away.

"I said no."

"Reba-"

"No." She shoved him out of the bathroom and slammed the door in his face, moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub. She couldn't let herself want him to continue. She didn't want to become comfortable in this reality and most of all, she couldn't start to fall for him again.

* * *

_Whoosh whoosh. Whoosh whoosh_.

The sound of baby Hart's heart filled the room. Reba lay on the table with her belly exposed, the nurse performing the ultrasound as Brock looked on. It was the first time Brock had actually seen her so bare in a while. She wasn't sure what to think of it. Trying to focus on the baby on the monitor, Reba took a deep breath and let it out.

"Everything looks good," The nurse told her. "Do you have any questions or anything while you're here?"

Reba shook her head but Brock spoke up.

"I do."

The nurse turned her attention towards him as she turned off the machine and handed Reba a paper towel to clean up with.

"Shoot."

"Is a woman's sex drive supposed to plummet when they're pregnant?"

Reba sharply looked up at Brock as she pulled her shirt over her belly. He hardly blinked as he awaited the nurse's answer.

"It's different for every woman. There are no two cases alike."

He just nodded, not meeting Reba's eyes.

"So if that's it," The nurse said. "You can finish up in here and the receptionist will set up your next appointment on your way out."

"Thank you," Reba said as the nurse left the room after handing them a print-out of the baby. It was the first one Reba had seen. She was thirteen weeks along and so far, this was her first time actually being able to see her baby. She was starting to feel closer to him the more time she spent with him.

"You ready to go?" Brock asked.

She hopped off the table, smoothing out her clothes and fluffing her hair. "Yes, I am. Without you." She went to the door and opened it, walking out into the hallway.

"Reba, where are you going?" Brock asked, following her. "Reba?"

She walked straight past the receptionist, not even bothering to set up another appointment. She could do it over the phone tomorrow. Her only concern at the moment was making it to the car and speeding off, leaving Brock in the dust. As she walked across the parking lot, she heard him calling her name but she only walked faster, fishing around in her purse for her keys as she strode towards the car. Whens he found them, she unlocked the driver's side door and got in, promptly shutting the door and locking it again. Brock appeared at her window moments later. She heard a muffled, "Open up" when he tried to door and couldn't open it.

She started the car and rolled the window down just enough.

"No. You can find your own way home."

"Reba, this is ridiculous. Why are you so angry?"

She gave him a dirty look and put the car in reverse. "Goodbye, Brock."

Then she backed out of the parking space and sped off, leaving him cussing as she drove onto the street

* * *

That night, Reba was outside in the backyard, staring up at the stars. With her arms crossed over her chest, she searched for a shooting star. She had never seen one before and thought that wishing on one seemed fitting considering her situation.

Behind her, she heard the backdoor open. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Brock.

"Hey," He said quietly.

She turned her back to him and didn't respond.

"I finally made it home," He told her. "If you care."

"I don't."

He nodded. "Good to know. You know, I didn't come out here to fight."

"What did you come out here for, Brock? Did you come out here to embarrass me some more?"

"No. I came out here to apologize. I'm sorry about what happened at the doctor earlier."

When she didn't respond, he stepped closer to her. "And for what happened this morning."

She still didn't respond.

"Okay," He said. "I still don't know why you're mad, but whatever." He turned to go inside but stopped when she spoke.

"I don't want to fall in love with you again."

He turned towards her. "What?"

She faced him, arms still folded. "I can't let myself. It would make it too hard to go back."

"Reba, there is no going back. This is it. We're married and I love you. It would be great if you'd let me show you. Maybe then you'd believe me and stop this game. I mean, you're pregnant. What more proof do you need?"

"I'm just confused. Like I keep telling you, I'll figure it out. Would it kill you to stop bringing it up and let me handle this? Would it?"

"Would it kill you to let me do more than side hug you before we go to sleep?"

She rolled her eyes. "Can we just drop it for tonight?"

"Whatever you say." He walked up beside her and put his arm around her waist. "Is this okay?"

She nodded and even laid her head on his shoulder. "You're still my best friend, Brock."

"I'm glad."

She lifted her head. "I felt the baby move today."

"You did?"

"On the way home from the doctor."

He placed his hand on her belly, thinking about how much he missed her. After he was silent for a moment, he said, "I can't feel it."

She put her hand over his. "You might not be able to. I hardly felt it. He's probably not strong enough to actually move to where we can feel it on the outside. All it was was a little flutter. Like a butterfly." She looked up. "I told you I'd tell you when it happened."

He nodded when he saw her smile and pulled his hand away before she got all weird on him.

"I'm going to go to bed, okay?" She said softly. "I'm kind of tired."

"Okay. I'll be up in a few minutes."

She walked inside and Brock took over her spot, looking up at the stars himself, swearing that he was going to get her some help if it was the last thing he ever did.


	12. Chapter 12

Reba busied herself with picking up the house one day when she didn't feel like going to work with Brock and his Mr. Know-It-All attitude. The last thing she wanted to hear was how she was crazy and how she needed help. She decided it would be better for her to clean the house that had become a wreck in the past few weeks she hadn't been able to transport. Truth be told, she hadn't done a single chore since her wreck. She had come to realize that accident was to blame for her not being able to transport to her normal life and she was trying to figure out a way to change that. She thought best when cleaning, so she was killing two birds with one stone.

She was fifteen weeks along in her pregnancy and while she cleaned, she found time to bond with her baby. Lately, she had been talking to him a lot more and getting to know his sleeping habits. She began to recognize when he was awake, asleep, fussy and everything else he could do at that stage. She had even been thinking of names for him, writing down first and middle ones to see how well they would flow with the last name. It was something she hadn't done in years and it was a little bittersweet. He would be her last and after seeing him for the first time a few weeks before, she couldn't wait to hold him in her arms. She truly felt as if she was getting closer to him after being afraid to even touch her belly for so long. One of her worst fears was never being able to figure this whole reality hopping thing out and not getting to keep him with her at all times.

But she had to tell herself that everything would work out. Convincing herself wasn't easy, but she was getting there.

Sighing as she pushed negative thoughts away, she made her way upstairs to gather laundry from her and Brock's bedroom. She knew better than over-exert herself, as Brock told her this morning, so she decided she would do a few loads and call it a day. She was in the point in her pregnancy where she was getting more and more fatigued just doing daily activities. However, she didn't like to sleep much, as she had been having terrible nightmares. More times than once, she had caught Brock being awoken in the middle of the night and questioning why she was still up. She never told him why, didn't need a lecture, but she wished she could confide in him.

As she made her way over to Brock's side of the bed where he always threw his dirty clothes, she managed to bump into his side-table, knocking over a half-full glass of water. She groaned and noticed that the water was seeping into the drawer as it ran onto the carpet. She quickly pulled the drawer out, emptying it and grabbing a towel from the bathroom. She didn't want the water to ruin the table that was fairly nice. Brock had found the matching side-tables at a privately owned cabinet shop and surprised Reba with them a few years before they divorced in her real life.

As she cleaned up the mess and prepared to put all his stuff back in his drawer, a stack of papers caught her eye. Normally, she wouldn't even think about nosing through his things. He never did it to her, why should she do it to him? But this time, it was the headline of the first piece of paper that caught her eye.

_Dear Mr. Hart,  
We at Edgewood Treatment Center would be happy to accept your request to admit your wife on such short notice. It is not a problem in the least bit. I wanted to write you a formal letter so you would have something to show should anything come up. Please feel free to call our center and speak with any of our skilled staff at your leisure. We look forward to meeting you and Mrs. Hart in person and helping you both on the road to recovery._

_- Garrett Brown PhD. _

Reba read the letter over and over, wondering what kind of place Edgewood Treatment Center was and why her and Brock were associated with it. She had never heard of the place in her life.

She placed the first paper behind the last one and read the second letter.

_Dear Mr. Hart  
September fifteenth would be the day that we could book Mrs. Hart into a room. As you know, we spoke of this on the phone and Doctor Richie confirmed that this admission would be best for your wife. Please keep this letter for reference, should anything come up, as I said in the previous letter. I always like to have things in writing. Again, feel free to call the center at any time. We look forward to the fifteenth.  
_

_- Garrett Brown PhD._

Reba's heartbeat was getting faster and faster and her skin was becoming hot and clammy as she realized what was to happen. Not even bothering to read the last letter, she went to her own side-table and pulled out her computer. After it booted up, she searched Edgewood Treatment Center online.

**The Top Rated Psychological Treatment Facility in Texas, **the banner on the website read. As Reba scrolled through the pages, she confirmed where Brock wanted to send her to. He was going to send her to a literal nuthouse.

* * *

**You bastard.**

She didn't even care that she was bothering him at work when she sent the text to Brock. She was angry as all get out and wasn't at all concerned about what his reaction to her finding those letters he had obviously tried to keep secret would be, although she knew it wouldn't be a good one.

**Excuse me? **was his response a moment later.

**You know. I found the letters in your side-table.**

Her phone started buzzing and she rolled her eyes at Brock's name on the caller ID. She almost pressed ignore, but she wasn't about to fight with him over text.

"What?" She answered.

"I didn't want you to find out like that," He said.

"How did you want me to find out? When they showed up at our house with sedatives and rolled me into the asylum on a gurney?"

"It's not an asylum," He said, his tone gruff and cold. "It's a treatment center. You need help, Reba."

"No, I don't. And even if I did, you think _they're_ going to give it to me?"

"They're one of the best centers in Texas-"

"Yeah, I read all that bull on their website."_  
_

"Reba, please don't fight me on this, okay?" He paused a moment. "I'm coming home."

"Don't bother," She told him, standing from the bed. "I won't be here."

"Transporting again?"

That was when she hung up and threw the phone on the bed. So much for staying positive.

She wasn't sure where she was going, but she knew she didn't want to stay here and listen to all of Brock's pointless excuses of why she needed psychological help and how she needed to get "better."

Adrenaline started pumping through her as she thought about actually leaving. That thought hadn't crossed her mind in a while. She was happy to get away, but also scared. She had become used to Brock being there and protecting her the last three weeks. Her fear got the best of her and she started getting short of breath.

Trying to calm herself, she sat down on the floor in front of her dresser she was attempting to get clothes out of. Her vision started to get hazy and she knew she was on the brink of a panic attack. She had had a few in her life, but not in a while. And especially not pregnant.

Before she could even fully understand what was going on, there was a twisting pain in her stomach. The pain was so much that a low moan escaped her lips as she doubled over, holding her belly in her hands. The twisting got sharper and she tried to move towards the bed, going for her phone to dial 911. There was no way she was going to be a martyr and try to walk this off. Not when her baby was in potential danger.

She managed to crawl just enough to reach up on the bed and grab her phone, dialing the number immediately. The pain was so bad that when the operator came on, all she could say was her address. It took all her energy to utter those few words as she listened to the lady on the other line tell her that an ambulance was on its way and to stay where she was.

"God," She whispered when she finally heard the sirens. "Protect him."

She heard the door open downstairs and the sound of heavy feet coming up the stairs, shouting for her. All she could do was lie there until they walked in and spoke to one another about getting her stable. That was when the pain finally made her pass out.

* * *

When she finally opened her eyes, she saw a hospital room and felt relieved she made it there. Her belly was sore when she tried to move, so she refrained from doing so, but her arm was as well. Slowly, she turned her head and saw that she had an IV and also noticed she was wearing an oxygen mask. Blinking a bit, she saw that she wasn't alone in the room. Brock was sitting in a chair beside her with his elbows on his knees, head down.

She shifted in the bed a bit, causing him to look up and notice she was awake. Quickly, he stood and rubbed her forehead, pushing her bangs over a bit.

"Thank God," He whispered as he kissed her forehead. "They said you'd wake up two hours ago. I was starting to get worried."

She moved to take her oxygen mask off, but Brock did it for her. "Don't try to talk much," He told her. "You need to get your rest."

"Where am I?" She asked.

"In the hospital."

"What hospital?"

She could see that he wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. "Texas Medical."

"What happened? Do you know?"

He shook his head, repeatedly rubbing her forehead lovingly. "We can talk about it later, okay? Just go back to sleep. You'll feel much better."

"I don't want to go back to sleep, Brock," She said as sternly as she could.

He pressed the call button on her bed as he shook his head. "You need to, though."

"Everything okay?"

Reba looked towards the doorway as a young nurse entered the room and checked her vital signs.

"She needs some more sedatives," Brock explained. "The doctor said that when she woke up, make sure she was okay and acting normal and call you in so she could rest some more."

"Sounds good," The nurse said, going about her business. "Let's put your oxygen back on, okay?" She tried to slip the mask back on but Reba moved her head.

"I don't want to go to sleep," She said, closing her eyes. "Is the baby okay?"

"Just a minute here, alright?" The nurse said, forcing the mask on her and placing some medicine into her IV to make her sleep. "You'll fall asleep here pretty quickly and wake up feeling great, okay?"

Reba shook her head, not liking how she was being talked to like a child.

She tried to ask if her baby was okay again, but no one could understand her muffled voice. Within thirty seconds, her eyes drooped closed and she was pushed headfirst into a land of nightmares she had tried so hard to avoid.


	13. Chapter 13

Reba wasn't sure what day it was or even what year it was when she woke up. Her eyes just fluttered open on their own and she fully expected to still be in that hospital bed wearing that oxygen mask with an IV in her arm.

But that didn't happen.

She sat up and looked around the room. Her room. She was in her room in her house and Brock's stuff was gone. She had finally transported. A smile graced her lips and she actually let out a laugh. She hadn't had many happy moments in the past few weeks, but this truly was one.

Just as quickly as she smiled, her lips turned downward as she threw the covers off of her. She looked down and her smile returned. She still had her baby bump and when she placed her hand on her stomach, she felt her baby move. He was okay. She hadn't lost him.

"Thank you," She whispered to God as she slipped out of bed and into her closet to put on a black outfit. She knew where she was going, but didn't want to broadcast the baby to everyone and their brother just yet. She hoped that her loose black blouse and black pants would conceal him for the time being.

After washing her face and throwing her hair up, she took a deep breath and walked downstairs. When she arrived, the house was silent. She was somewhat relieved, but still wanted to be able to see her kids. The ones hadn't seen in a normal state in almost a month.

She went straight to the house phone, not bothering to search for her cell, and dialed the number.

"Hey, it's me. If you're not busy, can we talk?"

* * *

He was there moments later. When he walked in the backdoor wearing his dress shirt and trousers, his work clothes for the day, she couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks for coming over here so quickly," She said as he closed the door.

Brock shrugged. "No problem. What's up?" He walked to the refrigerator and got out a juice. Opening it, he went and sat down at the counter. "You sounded kind of stressed over the phone."

She nodded. "I have been." Taking a deep breath and trying to figure out how she was supposed to tell him everything, she said, "I don't know who else to talk to about this."

"What is it?"

"I don't want you to freak out or think I'm crazy."

"I'm not going to think you're crazy. What is it?"

She unbuttoned the jacket she was wearing and slipped it off, turning to the side and smoothing her shirt out so he could see her bump. "This."

She watched as his eyes widened. "Wh-what? Reba, are you-?

"Yes."

She could tell he didn't know what to say, so she figured why not go a step further.

"And it's yours."

"Excuse me?"

"It's your baby, Brock."

"The hell it is." He stood up, but she ran around the counter to him.

"Listen to me." She put her hands on his shoulders. "That car accident I had a few months ago?"

He didn't respond. He was too busy with his mouth that was gaping open.

"Do you remember?" Slowly, he nodded and she continued. "Okay, well, it sent me into this alternate reality where you and I are married. I've been jumping back and forth between here and there. I can carry the baby over with me as well as anything else I touch when I sleep. But I had another accident that caused me to be stuck there. In the life where we're married, I mean. Brock, you're not yourself there."

He wasn't saying anything. More like grunting and trying to form logical sentences.

"I know it's hard to believe," She said, going to sit down at the table, placing her hands in her lap. "And I know this is a lot to spring on a person, but I can't handle it anymore. You're trying to send me to a nuthouse there, Brock." She looked up at him. "I can't convince you that I'm not crazy."

He managed to close his mouth and walk over to where she sat, kneeling down in front of her.

"I want you to know that you're not making any sense right now. But I also want you to know that whatever is happening, I'm going to be there for you, okay?"

That was when she let the tears she was holding back fall and she grabbed onto him, pulling him close to her.

"I'm just so scared," She mumbled into his shoulder. "I don't want to go back anymore. I don't want to go back anymore."

* * *

After explaining to Brock what was happening in a bit more detail, he became more concerned for her.

"Do you know why you transported here after being there for three weeks?" He asked her after she had calmed down a bit and they had moved their discussion to the living room.

She sighed and shrugged. "The only thing I can think of is the accidents I've been having are triggering everything. I guess the panic attack I had sent me back here. I want to be more careful." She looked up at him. "I don't want to go back there."

He nodded. She had told him all about the other Brock and he had to admit, he was a bit of an ass. "I don't blame you. And I'm sorry I'm not being understanding...there...or whatever it is..."

"That person is not you," She said. "I know the real you."

He kind of nodded. "What I don't understand is why this is even happening. Do you know?"

She shook her head. "I've been trying to figure that out for months now. To tell you the truth, I don't even know which reality is my normal one."

"What do you mean?"

"When I had that accident right after Kyra was born, what if that catapulted me into this reality that I'm in right now and I've just been living here until the accident that put me back in my normal spot? What if my alternate reality is the norm?"

"It's not."

"But what if it is? What if that's where I was destined to be before the beginning of time?"

"You've lived here for as long as you can remember. You can continue to."

She put her head in her hands. "Sometimes I think I'm dreaming, like you think I am in the other reality, but other times, I feel like I'm not. That this is all a living dream, a living nightmare." She lifted her head. "I'm scared for the baby."

He sat back in his seat. "I'm still confused as to how that even happened."

"I'm not sure. I guess we slept together before I got there or something. I don't know how it happened." She paused. "What do you think about it?"

"I don't know. I haven't really had a chance to let it sink in."

"You can imagine how I felt when I found out."

"I guess so."

She sat back, letting her belly be the focus point of the room. "He moves a lot."

"It's a boy?"

She nodded. "I've been thinking about names." She placed her hands on her belly. "But I've had no one to share my ideas with."

He leaned forward. "You can share them with me."

She smiled. "I like Gordon."

"Gordon?"

She nodded. "Gordon McKinney Hart. After Mama and Daddy."

"I like that."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Gordon. We can call him Gordie."

She loved how he said 'we' and not 'you.'

"I was thinking the exact same thing."


	14. Chapter 14

Reba wasn't sure if she was going to transport that night or not, so she invited Brock out to a friendly dinner that evening. He agreed and met her at the restaurant she suggested after work. She had called in that day and was relieved to find that her boss didn't mind. It seemed as if everything was normal, so Reba didn't question a thing and went on about her day as happily as she could.

When her and Brock met for dinner, her attitude perked up a bit more.

"How was your day?" He asked her when they got sat down and had their order taken. The place was somewhat crowded and Reba was glad they were seated at a booth in the back. It gave them a bit more privacy.

"It was fine," She told him. "I got to talk to Jake a little bit. I haven't gotten to do that in nearly a month. I hardly see him in my other reality."

Brock nodded, but didn't offer a response.

"I'm really confused as to why you believe me," She said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"You never questioned my sanity or grilled me to death. You just believed every word."

He shrugged. "What reason do you have to lie to me?"

"It's not that. I wouldn't lie, but in my other reality, you think I'm crazy."

"What do I say?"

"You say that it isn't fair that all of a sudden I woke up one day and decided that I wasn't your wife. You complain that I haven't let you touch me in weeks and you don't understand where I'm coming from at all. It's making my life really miserable there. I just wish I could figure out a way to stay put."

He sighed. "I'm sorry I'm being that way."

She kind of chuckled. "Like I said, I know that isn't you."

He let the silence between them grow a moment before saying, "What if I told you how to make me lighten up?"

"What do you mean?"

He moved his coaster around on the table. "Well, if I'm upset that you won't let me touch you, why not let me?"

"Brock!"

"Hear me out. We're married there, right?"

"Yes..."

"Well, I'm probably frustrated as hell."

"You mean...?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I know that it might be awkward, but I remember how it was when we were married in this reality. Whenever you would cop an attitude and make me sleep on the couch and withhold sex, it really pissed me off. Just let go and do it and maybe I'll lighten up."

"I don't know if I could..."

He shrugged. "I know I can be an ass sometimes."

"You really can be." She looked up at him. "But would that make things weird here?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm still physically attracted to you right now. That's no secret."

She was taken aback. She had no idea he still thought she was attractive. Sure, she thought he was still good-looking, but men look better as they age. She wasn't so sure she had the same blessing.

"Oh."

He laughed. "That's all you have to say?"

"I don't know."

He leaned over the table a bit. "You didn't know I still thought you were beautiful?"

She sat back in her seat, trying to get away from him and the awkward situation. "I don't know."

"What do you know?"

"I know that you're making me feel really weird right now. Brock, we're divorced here."

"So? I can't tell you that you're beautiful?"

"Not here!"

"But I'm divorced. It's not like I'm still married."

"Exactly! We're not married here, either!"

He sat back in the booth and folded his hands on the table. "I'll drop it. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. That's the last thing I want to do right now. Just think about what I said."

* * *

When Reba went to sleep and woke up, she transported. The first thing she heard when her brain started recognizing her surroundings was the beeping of the heart monitor and she realized she was back in the hospital. She opened her eyes and heard Brock cough next to her. Thankfully, the oxygen mask was off and she could speak.

"Brock?"

She heard him get up and walk over to her.

"Hey, sleepyhead." He kissed her forehead as she looked up at him.

"He's okay."

He nodded. "He's okay."

She smiled and let her head roll to the side to lean against his arm. "I was so scared he wasn't going to make it."

"Me too." He kissed her head again. "What happened?"

"I got so upset after our conversation and had a panic attack. I passed out after I called the ambulance."

"I'm so sorry, baby." He knelt down beside her bed so he could be at eye level with her. "I'm sorry I upset you so badly."

She tried to smile, remembering what the other Brock had told her. "I know you are. I just didn't want you doing something you're going to regret."

"Why don't we talk about this when we get home, when you're stronger?"

"I'm fine right now."

"You may be, but nevertheless, you're in the hospital. Our private matters shouldn't be discussed here."

"We're alone, Brock. You keep leaving me in the dark."

He looked at her. "When we get home."

She sighed in frustration, realizing being nice to him wasn't going to be easy at all.

"Fine."


	15. Chapter 15

The ride home from the hospital was somewhat awkward. Brock wasn't talking and Reba didn't offer any words, either. It seemed as if both were just as distant as could be. However, Reba knew that as soon as she stepped foot in that house, she was going to start in on Brock, asking about those letters and what his intentions were. She knew he knew it, too.

When he pulled in the driveway and got out of the car, she followed him silently into the house, waiting until he got the door closed before she began speaking.

"We're home. Now talk."

He sighed and walked into the kitchen, not even bothering to look at her. "Reba, not now."

"Why not now?" She asked, following behind him. "You said to wait until we got home, that you wouldn't talk at the hospital."

He opened the refrigerator. "Not now."

"Brock, this whole thing has to stop. Now. You are not communicating with me. Nothing is getting solved here."

He slammed the refrigerator door and turned around, eyes blazing. "If you had given me a moment to breathe before you started yelling at me, maybe I would be more likely to talk to you. This is exactly why I have those letters, Reba. Don't you get it?"

"Enlighten me."

"You're not yourself! You've been consumed with Reba this and Reba that for the past month and it's driving me insane."

"I told you-"

"Yeah, I know what you've told me. And I still don't buy it." He brushed past her and walked into the living room, prepared to go up the stairs.

Reba trailed behind him, thinking about the other Brock's words.

"How have I not been myself, Brock? I still take care of Jake and Kyra and you everyday. I cook and clean and go to work."

"You hardly do any of those things anymore. And it's not just me who's worried. The kids are worried, too. They're afraid that you don't want to be here anymore or something and frankly, I'm starting to think that, too."

"What do you think I'm going to do? Run away pregnant with nowhere to go."

He looked up at her. "If you had a place to go, yes. I do think you'd leave."

Reba's mouth hung open in pure shock. How dare he accuse her of leaving when he did the exact same thing.

"You listen here, buddy," She said, pointing a finger at him as he sat down on the bed to take his shoes off. "I am not leaving you and the kids. That would be selfish and that is the very last thing that I am and you know it."

He shook his head and continued with his task. Reba was silent for a moment and just watched him, making sure she wanted what she was fixing to do.

"I know why you're so angry," She finally said.

He let out a sarcastic laugh as she stood to put his shoes in the closet.

"I do," She insisted.

He turned around to face her. "And what would that be?"

"We haven't been intimate in awhile..."

"Months."

"Yeah, well. I'm just saying. I'm sorry. I didn't realize until yesterday how much it affected you."

"It's frustrating as hell."

She nodded. "That's why I'm apologizing."

He kind of nodded as well. "Are we going to do something about it?"

"That's why I brought it up."

He smiled and reached forward to bring her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. She nervously let her own arms go around his neck and looked up at him.

"I'm nervous..." She admitted.

"Why?"

"It's been so long."

He ran his thumb along her cheek. "Don't be nervous. It's me."

She kind of laughed and shrugged. "I'm trying."

He let his lips touch hers and Reba surprised herself when she kissed him back, without even thinking. She felt his arms leave her waist and go to her hips, making their way to her butt. She gasped and pulled away from his kiss when he squeezed.

"Don't tell me you don't like that anymore," He said.

"No. Just surprised at how much I still like it."

He laughed and turned her around to lay her on the bed. She could feel her hands shaking as she took his shoulders in her hands, tightly holding onto him as his kiss trailed from her mouth to her neck. It had literally been years since they had been together like this and she didn't know whether to feel excited or scared. She wondered if this would change his attitude and make it easier to live with him. She knew he had to get his frustration out, like every man, but she had been apart from him long enough to forget that this was one of his ways to relieve frustration.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open, not even realizing she had closed them. His face was inches from hers.

"Mm-hmm."

He nuzzled his nose against hers before kissing her lips again. "I've missed you..." He told her quietly as his hands began unbuttoning her blouse. She felt the cold air hit her skin as he undid the last button. She raised up a bit, letting him slip it off her before he unzipped her pants and discarding them as well.

She felt rather exposed in front of him, kind of awkward. She wiggled underneath him a bit uncomfortably until he noticed.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I don't know..." She admitted. "I'm still nervous. It's been a long time, Brock..."

"Not that long. We've been married for almost thirty years." He smiled. "I've seen everything there is to see."

"I'm fat, Brock."

He placed a hand on her belly. "No, you aren't. You're pregnant."

"I'm self conscious."

He rolled off of her onto his pillow.

"What are you doing?" She looked over at him.

"Do you want to be on top?"

Her cheeks went red and she shook her head. "You know I don't like that."

"I could teach you." He winked at her. "It's easy."

She grabbed him and pulled him back on top of her, grasping the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head. She suddenly felt more comfortable now that he was joking around with her. She was a bit more confident and even went to undo his jeans as well.

"You don't need to feel self conscious," He told her, trailing his kisses down her body. "I love how you're showing now." He kissed her belly. "That's our baby. Why wouldn't I love that?"

Moments later when clothes were no longer in play and Reba had her head buried in Brock's shoulder, she whimpered as they came together for the first time in years. For a split second, they had never divorced, Barbra Jean had never even been thought of, Cheyenne didn't have a teenage pregnancy and everything was perfect.

She held onto him as tight as she could, letting out a sigh every now and then because it was just so wonderful. He was her husband and she was his wife, just like they were supposed to be.

Above her, he moved a bit faster, trying to get the job done and when she started shivering beneath him, he smiled and kissed her lips before finishing himself.

"I love you," He whispered.

"I love you, too," She responded, her breathing a bit labored. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, letting him kiss her neck as they held onto one another. She hoped she wouldn't regret this tomorrow when she transported. And she hoped even more that this would change the second Brock's attitude. Maybe he wouldn't think she was crazy anymore. Maybe she could actually live with him if this was where she was supposed to be, because she did love him. Was she _in_ love with him, though? Not yet.

* * *

**I tried to make that as PG rated as I could. I don't want to move this to the M-rated section. So...yeah. Thanks for all the reviews and private messages. They're sweet. (:**


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, Red."

Reba looked up from her book she was reading on the couch the next evening after transporting to see Brock walk in the front door. Immediately, her cheeks blushed pink and she stuck her nose back in her book.

"Hi," She said, not looking up at him. She remembered the night before and took a shaky breath. He had rocked her world eighteen hours ago and she wasn't sure what to think about it yet.

"Whatcha up to?" He plopped down beside her, placing his feet up on the coffee table like she was doing.

"Reading."

"Whatcha reading?" He leaned over, trying to read the cover of the book. "Nora Roberts? I didn't know you still read her stuff."

"Yep."

Brock sat back, kind of staring at her. "Is there something wrong?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head. "No."

He crossed one arm across his chest, tucking it under his other one as his hand held his chin. "Yes, there is. Are you okay? Did something happen?"

She shrugged, still not looking up from her book. At this point, she wasn't even reading it. Skimming the lines was more like it. "Depends on your definition of 'something'."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm a bit confused here, Reba. I came over to see if you wanted to go catch a movie or something, but if something's wrong, I'd be more than happy to talk to you about it."

"There's nothing _wrong_... You remember our conversation the other day?"_  
_

"Which one?"

She sighed, placing her whole face in the book to hide it. "The one where you said you'd probably act better in my other reality if I slept with you."

His eyes went wide and a small smile graced his slightly open mouth. "Really?"

She nodded slowly. "Really."

He sat back on the couch with a successful look on his face. "I can score without even knowing it."

Reba slammed her book in her lap and glared at him. "Excuse me?"

He held his hands up. "Kidding."

She groaned and leaned her head back on the couch. "Are things going to be weird here now? I already have to dress like Kyra to hide the baby, I don't want this looming over me, too."

"No. Nothing's weird on this end."

She leaned her head back up. "Good. I don't need that."

He nodded. "Gotcha."

She smiled and went to open her book when his next question caught her off guard.

"Was it any good?"

She glanced up at him. "What?"

"You know. Was it any good?"

"I'm not going to discuss that with you!" She stood from the couch, mapping out an escape route upstairs.

"But you slept with me!"

She whirled around. "You weren't supposed to know it here, though."

"But I do. Just answer me." He grinned. "Was it any good?"

She squared her jaw. "Yes. Now stop asking questions." She turned again and started up the stairs, but Brock jumped up to stop her.

"Did I get you off?"

Her shocked face made him laugh when she turned around.

"Brock!"

"A yes or no will suffice."

She gritted her teeth. "Yes. Now leave me alone."

He fist-pumped and followed her up the stairs.

"You'll have to tell me my tactic," He said. "Because we always had problems with that. You're a very hard woman to please."

"I am not telling you anymore about it, Brock. I guess you should have been there."

"Ooh, a threesome. Good call. We'll arrange that next time."

She stopped just outside her room and turned to face him. "When did you become so crude?"

When he saw her face, his smile fell. "I was just kidding, Reba."

"I know you were, but that's why I'm telling you to quit it. Last night wasn't about any of that for me. Sure, at first I did it because I thought it would help me in the long run, but as it went on, I realized how good it felt to actually have someone care about what I wanted for once. I forgot what it felt like to have someone hold you and for a minute, all my problems were solved. I had you back for a few minutes." She lowered her eyes. "It was just like it used to be. It felt the same." She gave a small laugh. "You did everything the same way, said the same things." She looked up, surprising him when she did so. "Remember when you used to look in my eyes at the height of it all and just say the sweetest things?"

_Her breath caught in her throat as he hit a spot that made her gasp._

_"Look at me," He said breathlessly._

_She forced her eyelids open and looked right at him. He smiled and moved his hand between them, watching her eyes widen._

_"You like that?"_

_She nodded, feeling her breath quicken. "Yeah..."_

_"Good." He continued a moment more before moving his hand to her chest. "Did I ever tell you?"_

_"Tell me what?" She groaned when he didn't answer right away, instead letting her focus on what he was doing. "Tell me what?" She asked again, breathing rapidly. _

_"You're the best I ever had."_

_She smiled, reaching up to feel his face. His stubble pricked her palm. "You're all I've ever had."_

_He chuckled, doing his best to get a sigh or something out of her. "That's what I like to hear."_

_She groaned and threw her head back as he continued moving. _

_"And then there's that, too." He nuzzled her neck. "Look at me."_

_She raised her head and looked him in the eye. "You sure are bossy tonight."_

_"It's my nature." He changed his angle a bit. "You sure are pretty."_

_"I'm a sweaty mess," She breathed._

_"I think you're gorgeous." He put his hand between them again, hearing her gasp as he leaned in to kiss her on the mouth, swallowing her cries as she shuddered beneath him. _

_"I love you," He said against her mouth._

_"I love you, too," She said, almost desperately. _

He nodded before swallowing. "I do remember that."

"You did that last night. It took everything I had inside me not to burst out into tears. It hurts so bad knowing we let all that go. We could have that right now, but we didn't fight."

He wasn't sure what to say. It had been years since she had poured out her heart to him. When they were married, she would have these long heart to hearts where she would tell him her deepest secrets, but obviously, when he decided to be an idiot and they got divorced, she closed up and wouldn't let him back in at all. He was thankful that she had lightened up around him somewhat, but still sad it would never be like it used to. That's why her confession surprised him. It caught him off guard and he wasn't sure how to respond.

"I'm sorry, Reba." He threw his hands up. "I don't know why you're going through this crazy reality-hopping crap, but maybe in the end it'll all turn out just like you want it to. Maybe we'll end up together. Who knows?"

"Would you want that?"

"Mom? Are you home?"

They both heard Cheyenne downstairs followed by a door close then open again.

"Thanks for waiting on me," They heard Van say.

"I'll be right down," Reba yelled back. Brock's eyes locked on hers when he heard tears in her voice. He watched as she wiped at her eyes, turning away from him and walking downstairs.

"Hey, you two!" Reba said, forcing excitement. She was careful not to let her daughter hug her full on as Brock came down the stairs.

"Hey, guys," He said, greeting his daughter and son-in-law. "I have to get, but it was nice seein' ya." He patted Van on the back before walking out the door.

Cheyenne turned to Reba with a strange look on her face. "Is he acting weird to you?"

Reba shrugged. "He's always weird." She went to sit down on the couch where Van had already ventured to.

"You guys have been together a lot lately," Cheyenne said as she sat down beside her mother.

"Says who?" Reba asked, placing a mark in her book and setting it on the coffee table.

"Says Kyra. When she's not at school, she's here doing homework." Cheyenne pulled her feet up underneath her and got comfy. "She says Dad's always coming over or you guys are going out to dinner."

"We've gone out a few times..."

"Are you two dating?" Van asked.

"What?" Reba looked at him with a shocked face. "No way! I don't date Brock!"

Van shrugged. "Something weird's going on then." He grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

"Yeah, Mom," Cheyenne said. "There is something weird going on. Are you okay?"

Reba stood from the couch, not wanting her daughter to get too close. "Everything is perfectly fine. Your father and I are not dating, okay?"

"Okay, good." She sat back on the couch. "That would be bad."

Reba put her hands on her hips. "Why would that be bad?"

Cheyenne shrugged. "It just would be. You got divorced for a reason. If you got back together, all you would do is fight. I mean, that's all you do now."

"Your father and I do not fight all the time."

"What would you call it then?"

"Friendly disagreements."

"It's fighting, Mom. Besides, if nothing weird is going on, why does it matter?"

"It doesn't. And it never will."

* * *

**Again, I didn't want this to be too...ya know. So, if it was, tell me and I'll tone it down next time. I don't want to have to move this. Haha. :p**


	17. Chapter 17

Later that night, Brock came over to play video games with Jake. He assumed Reba had gone up to bed because the house was relatively quiet other than the low hum of Jake's game. After the two were through, Jake said he had a bit of unfinished homework and left to go do it. Brock was about to leave when he thought he'd sneak upstairs to see if Reba was still awake. Their conversation awkwardly ended earlier in the day and he didn't want to leave it like that.

He found her door to be slightly ajar when he walked up the stairs. Peering in, he could see her curled up on her bed on top of the covers. Smiling, he pushed the door open and walked in, careful not to wake her. He gently perched on the bed and couldn't help but think about how peaceful she looked in the glow of the lamp light. She was in her pajamas with no makeup on and had taken her contacts out, her black-framed glasses replacing them.

"What do you want?" She suddenly said, not opening her eyes.

Her voice startled Brock and he jumped a bit. "Nothing..." He said slowly. "Just thought I'd come in and see if you were awake."

She opened her eyes then, yawning as she did so. "No. Just resting. I don't want to go back any sooner than I have to."

He could see her baby bump better now that she wasn't in all black. He found it to be absolutely adorable. "You know, pregnancy fits you well."

"What?"

He nodded towards her belly. "You're cute when you're pregnant. Your cheeks get all chubby, like a chipmunk, and you eat more than you normally would. You're just different. In a good way."

"I didn't know looking like a chipmunk was a good thing." She let out a breath and rolled over onto her back. "He's getting bigger."

"He is."

She suddenly grabbed his hand, placing it on her belly. "Quick, feel. He's moving." She looked up at him with bright eyes. "Feel it?"

He nodded, tiny movements going across his hand. "Yeah, I do." He added his other hand as hers let go and scooted a bit closer. "What does that feel like to you?"

"Butterflies."

"Butterflies?"

She nodded, relaxing and letting him experience the moment. "Feels like there's about ten butterflies just fluttering around in there."

"Does it tickle?"

She laughed. "Not really." She took in the scene of father and baby really bonding for the first time.

"He stopped," Brock chuckled after a few more minutes. "I guess he got all tuckered out and fell asleep."

"'Bout dadgum time," Reba said, reaching under herself to pull the covers back, crawling under them and laying back down on her pillow. "I'm gettin' tired." She sighed as Brock moved to lay beside her on top of the covers. He didn't want to cross any lines.

"You look tired," He told her, rubbing her arm. "Get some sleep." He watched as she closed her eyes and gently took her glasses off for her, setting them on the end-table.

"Don't go anywhere," She told him quietly.

"I won't."

He watched as she laid still for a few minutes but became restless soon after. She went from laying on her side to laying on the opposite side to her back to facing Brock again all under a minute.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"He's awake."

He smiled and placed his hand on her belly. "Maybe he's hungry."

"We had a big dinner."

"He'll go to sleep soon, I bet." He scooted a bit closer, whispering, "I wish I could have been there when we made him..."

He saw her smile slightly. "You were...kind of."

"I wish I could remember it. I bet it was amazing." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Try to relax, okay?"

She nodded and snuggled closer to him, resting her forehead against his chest. "Tell me a story," She whispered.

He rested his chin on top of her head. "Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess who had gorgeous fire-colored hair. She spent all her days out in the field with all the woodland creatures, hoping to one day find her true love. One day, when she was running through the hills singing with her beautiful, powerful voice, she came upon a troll with a mean face and horrible things to say. But the princess was never unkind to the troll, no matter how awful he was to her. Day after day, she would talk to the troll who would do nothing but ignore her. Then the day came where the troll decided he'd been very selfish and told the princess so. He had seen her kindness and it had changed his heart. When she smiled at him, he transformed into a dashing young prince with wheat-colored hair and a killer smile. She was smitten with him and he thanked her for her loving attitude towards him when he didn't deserve it. He vowed he would love and protect her until the day she died."

"Did they get married?"

"They got married. And had four beautiful children."

"Two girls and two boys?"

"You got it. Have you heard this story before?"

She looked up at him with a slight smile. "Oh, once or twice before."

"They lived happily ever after, you know."

She placed her forehead back against his chest, letting out a sigh. "I know."

When he was sure she had fallen asleep, he told her, "He still loves the princess. I doubt he'll ever stop."

He wrapped his arms around her and let his eyelids droop closed, drifting off to sleep, making sure she would be okay until he saw her again.


	18. Chapter 18

The next day, Reba woke up without having transported with Brock. She herself did, but for some reason she couldn't figure out, Divorced Brock didn't tag along. She rolled out of bed and got ready for work just like any other day. However, on the way there, Married Brock brought up something to her in the car.

"I'd really like it if you went in for a doctor's appointment this week," He told her as they pulled out of the driveway.

"What for?"

"I want to make sure the baby is okay."

"The baby is fine, Brock. What are you talking about?"

"With all this talk of you hopping from reality to reality, I have to wonder if it's doing any damage to him."

"So you believe me?"

"No. But you believe you which worries me even more. If your mental state is out of whack, who's to say his isn't?"

"He's a baby."

"Exactly. He doesn't have a choice in the matter. I just really want you to get checked out. If you want to ruin yourself, fine, but you're not going to do anything to the baby."

"I'm not doing anything, Brock. If anything, I'm doing all that is within my power to figure this whole mess out. I would never do anything to harm any of my children and you know that."

"I don't care."

"Brock, that's ridiculous. You know that-"

"I'd just really appreciate it if you went and got checked out."

"No! I know that I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Reba, if you would just be rational for once and realize that I'm doing this for your own good, we wouldn't get into so many arguments."

"I do not cause the arguments we have, if that is what you're implying. Most of the time, the arguments we have are caused by you being a butt."

"Not true. You say all these crazy things-"

"And as your wife, I expect you to believe me. Not put me in a crazy house!"

He raised a hand and started pointing at her. "It is not a crazy house, Reba. It is a mental facility. I am doing this because I love you and it's what any good husband would do." He turned his head to look at her. "You just can't see that because you're too selfish!"

"Brock! Look out!" She was looking straight ahead the whole time he was yelling at her, actually afraid if he was going to put his hands on her when he turned her way and took his eyes off the road.

He looked back at the view in front of him and floored the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of him. It was too late, though. He crashed into them and the airbags deployed. Reba gasped and turned her head, not wanting a broken nose. She could hear the metal crunch as the two cars collided and felt the car shake as Brock's back hit the seat. She immediately unbuckled her seat-belt and opened her door, stumbling out onto the road. She glanced up and noticed that traffic was backing up down the street. Her shoulder hurt from where her seat-belt had prevented her from going through the windshield and she put her hand on the pained spot. A few people got out of their cars.

"Are you alright?" She heard a woman's voice say.

"Is she hurt?" Another asked.

She was disoriented and a bit concerned about what this accident would do to her situation. She wondered if it wouldn't prevent her from reality hopping again.

A moment later, she felt arms go around her, forcing her to the ground.

"Just stay still."

She looked up to see Brock. His nose was bleeding and he appeared to be having trouble breathing.

"Someone call an ambulance!" He looked up and yelled.

She squinted as she looked up at him, the sunlight directly in her eyes. The crowd of people was growing as they huddled around her with their bodies and voices.

"I'm fine," She tried to get out.

Brock covered her mouth, making it look as if he was wiping dust from the street away. "Be quiet," He said sternly. "Is somebody calling an ambulance?" He looked up and asked again, a bit more harshly this time.

"I will, I will," Reba heard a female voice say. "They'll be here soon."

"Is she okay?" Someone asked.

"I'm okay," She whispered, her hand going to her belly. The baby was moving a bit, probably trying to figure out what was going on. Hopefully he felt no effects from the accident.

"Is she pregnant?" A male voice asked. He sounded farther away than the woman who called the ambulance.

Brock was now kneeling down beside her. "Yes, she is. We have to get her to the hospital to check on the baby." He looked down and brushed her hair out of the way. "It'll be okay, honey."

"Brock, I don't want to go to the hospital," She told him. "I'm fine."

"Shh... It's okay." He was actually pretending as if she wasn't saying anything of the sort. He was focused on getting her to a hospital and that was it.

"I'm not hurt," She whispered. "Why are you doing this?"

"You need help," He said in a barely audible voice.

"I hear the ambulance," Someone in the crowd said.

So did Reba. She heard the sirens in the distance and tried to get up.

"No, honey," Brock told her. "Lay back down. You're hurt."

"No, I'm not." She said, her voice becoming a bit louder than before. "I have to get up. I have to go home. Brock, if I go to sleep before I figure this out, I might not transport for a while again. You remember what happened last time. I was stuck because of the accident."

"What does she mean?" A person asked.

Brock tried to chuckle and looked up. "I think she's just confused. She'll be alright once they get her checked out." He looked down at her. "Okay? It'll be alright. Just relax."

The ambulance pulled up and the sirens went off. She heard voices asking everyone to step back.

"Is she responsive?" The EMT asked. Reba looked at his face. He had kind eyes and she so desperately wanted to tell him that she was fine. She doubted Brock would let them believe that, though.

"She is," Brock said. "But she's kind of talking nonsense."

"Did she suffer any head trauma?"

"I think she did."

"No," She said. "The airbags deployed. I didn't hit my head." She tried to sit up, having to at least try to convince the EMTs she was okay.

"No, no," The man with kind eyes said. "Lie back down."

"She hit her head on the back of the seat pretty hard," Brock told him.

"Are you alright?" The EMT asked Brock, turning to face him. "Your nose is bleeding."

"Oh, I'm fine. I suffer from nose bleeds anyway. She's the one that's hurt."

Lie after lie after lie. Reba listened in shock as the man that was supposed to be protecting her say such words that would no doubt keep her in a straight jacket for years to come.

"Alright," Kind Eyes said. "We're going to load you up in the ambulance, alright?"

Reba nodded and two other EMTs appeared.

"Can I ride with her?" Brock asked.

"Up front. There's not enough room in the back."

They got her on the gurney and Reba felt the baby stop moving as they got her in the ambulance and shut the doors. She had never felt as truly alone as she did in that moment.


End file.
